The head of the national NHS pay negotiations is facing a series of
strikes in his own backyard for failing to pay out on a deal he
negotiated as part of the Agenda for Change agreement for 1.1 million
health workers.
Electricians and maintenance staff at Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals
foundation trust are to walk out every Monday this month over the
refusal by Joe Brayford, the trust's human resources director, to offer
£3,000-a-year rentention and recruitment payments which should be given to staff across the NHS. The pay deal is worth up to £9,000 for some staff as
payments could be backdated to 2004.
The electricians are being backed by Unite, the country's largest union,
whose national officer, Kevin Coyne, says the trust is breaching a national
pay deal and is highly critical of Mr Brayford for failing to implement a
pay deal he agreed at a national talks.
He said : "He should know better. Trusts cannot just pick and choose from
national agreements. It is just complete nonsense to claim that the trust
does not have to pay out this money which the rest of the NHS has agreed
to pay."
A trust spokesperson said yesterday: "The trust entirely refutes the
allegations against Mr Brayford. In discussions with the trust so far, the
Amicus section of Unite failed to demonstrate evidence that recruitment or retention of engineering craftsmen is a local problem.
"The union has argued that because other trusts have made these
payments, Doncaster and Bassetlaw trust should also make them. The trust takes the view that there is no automatic entitlement to receive such payment from public funds. There was no evidence put forward to justify payments to ensure recruitment or retention among this staff group at this time."
In April of this year Unite won a tribunal on behalf of four members
against Newcastle NHS foundation trust which sought to opt out of the
premium which was part of nationally agreed terms and conditions. The
premium was introduced following the implementation of the national Agenda for Change pay agreement as a way of recruiting and retaining skilled workers. The tribunal confirmed that the four members are entitled to a recruitment and retention premium.
In June a strike by NHS maintenance workers across Northern Ireland was
averted at the last minute when the Department of Health in Northern
Ireland agreed to implement the premium.
