Unison accepts three-year pay deal

UNISON has announced that a ballot showed 65% of members accepted the pay award, meaning the deal can now go ahead after the RCN accepted this morning.

This means nurses will receive a pay rise of 2.75% this year, 2.4% in 2009-2010 and 2.25% in 2010-2011.

Even though the RCM, Unite and the GMB rejected the deal, Unison’s vote was sufficient to rubber-stamp the deal because of its larger size.

Newly qualified nurses will also get extra money as they progress along pay increments each year because of restructuring of pay bands.

Support workers on lower pay bands will also receive a flat-rate increase of £420 in the final year of the deal.

Karen Jennings, Unison head of health, said: ‘The 2.75% on offer this year is the best in the public sector and the 3-year deal offers stability.’

Ms Jennings said a re-opener clause will protect nurses’ pay if inflation increases. She said: ‘The rising costs of everyday items such as food, fuel and energy obviously make members wary about being locked into a three-year deal. That is why we negotiated a re-opener clause that we will not hesitate to trigger if inflation continues to rise.’

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