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West Midlands Ambulance Service Branch AGM will take place via TEAMS at

18.00 hours on 24th March 2023

The link for the meeting is below 

TEAMS is available on all Trust IPads 

Any problems , please contact your Senior Unison Representative


https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NDRmNGI1ZDgtZjUzNy00NjhlLWI0MGQtZjMzZjZjNDQ0MjQ0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2232522f32-5eb7-4973-bbc2-5033d71ac83f%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22d8462f1a-60c6-4f55-85ca-9e5a58042bad%22%7d

Today, thanks to the efforts of you and your colleagues, the government has finally improved its offer on your pay.

UNISON members showed immense courage in taking four days of strike action, planning for the biggest day of action yet, building momentum in every corner of the country and maintaining incredible public support throughout it all. It’s your resilience that finally forced the government to the negotiating table. And what happens next will be your decision. 

Together with unions from across the NHS, we have spent the last two weeks in talks to secure you a pay offer that properly protects, recognises and rewards the whole workforce. The NHS is one team, and every role that you and your colleagues have is essential in providing excellent patient care.  

After intensive talks, the government’s offer to you now is a significant improvement on the 72p an hour you were awarded last summer: 

  • An additional one-off lump sum for 2022/23 which rises in value up the NHS pay bands. To provide a range, this is worth £1,655 for staff on Band 2 (over 8%), £2,009 for staff at the top of Band 5 and £3,789 for staff at the top of Band 9. 
     
  • A permanent 5% pay rise on all pay points for 2023/24. 
     

An increase to Band 2, raising the lowest pay point in the NHS to £11.45 an hour – 55p higher than the real Living WageUNISON is a member-led union, so it will be up to you and your colleagues to decide whether to accept this offer.  

Your elected representatives on UNISON’s lead NHS committee have carefully reviewed this offer and their recommendation is clear: that you accept. We are in no doubt that if it is not accepted, the government will take this offer off the table and the pay award NHS staff receive will be much worse. 

Very soon you will be asked to vote in a consultation. You will be given every piece of information you need to make this decision, including seeing exactly what the lump sum and the pay rise mean for you on your pay point.  

The strike action that was planned for Monday will not go ahead, and there will be no further strike action for the duration of the consultation. 

We would not be where we are today without your extraordinary determination in demanding that the government come back to the negotiating table and make a better offer.  

Please vote in the consultation when it launches soon.

UNISON members at West Midlands Ambulance Service voted in huge numbers for strike action in the recent re-ballot, where our branch achieved the highest turnout in the re-ballot.

Our vote for strike action played a key role in forcing the government to sit down with the trade unions and talk about pay for 22/23 and 23/23, after months of hiding behind the Pay Review Body process. 

The number of UNISON branches with mandates for industrial action over doubled after the re-ballot results, with over 32,000 UNISON members employed in the NHS being able to now take strike action.

 

Talks with government

The government, NHS employers and trade unions representing the Agenda for Change workforce have been holding constructive and meaningful discussions over last week and into this week, covering pay and non-pay matters.  The talks are still ongoing.

 

Monday 20 March Strike Action

Strike action on Monday 20 March for UNISON members employed by West Midlands Ambulance Service is still due to go ahead between the hours 06:00 – 22:00.

As it stands – this strike action is going ahead.

If the talks lead to a meaningful offer to put to members, then the strike action on 20 March could be postponed like the 8 March action was, but as it stands the 20 March strike date is going ahead.

We appreciate your patience and understanding on this issue and will notify you as soon as we receive any updates.



UNISON members in West Midlands Ambulance Service were asked if they were prepared to take part in strike action, and if they were prepared to take part in action short of a strike. In order for industrial action to be lawful, at least 50% of eligible members have to vote in the ballot. The results in West Midlands Ambulance Service were as follows:

'Are you prepared to take part in strike action?'

62.45% of members voted in the ballot.

88.40% of members voted YES to taking action up to and including strike action.

Therefore, in West Midlands Ambulance Service there is a mandate for lawful industrial action. We can begin the process of planning a strike and other forms of action.

This is an incredible result and my heartfelt thanks go to everyone who made it happen. I know you will have questions about what happens next. Thanks in advance for your patience - we are urgently beginning the process of planning action. 

To do this your branch has a number of important things to work through so we can answer your questions fully. We'll be in touch again very shortly.

In the meantime, there are a couple of important things you need to know.

Keep yourself safe: Take no action until you receive instruction from your branch. We are experienced at planning and delivering effective industrial action but in order to best protect you at work there are some things your branch need to do before they can let you know the dates and type of industrial action.

Know your rights: your employer has no right to ask you whether you are a union member, how you voted in the ballot, or whether you intend to take strike action. Your branch will handle all the paperwork that is needed, you do not need to do anything yourself, nor should your manager ask you to volunteer that kind of information. Employers will want to plan for industrial action, and UNISON will engage through formal channels, but you have no duty to answer questions.


And take a moment to reflect on an incredible result. The reality of the 2016 Trade Union Act means to even get to first base we have to get 50% of members to return their vote by post. This is a Conservative government law precisely designed to stop big, general unions like us from being able to take industrial action. Postal delays stopped a significant number of ballots getting back to us last time. But your patience and determination paid off: this time you got over the line!

It is clear that NHS staff will not put up with the pitiful 72p pay award by this government while the cost of living goes through the roof. Thanks to your work the union is now stronger than ever, and the campaign carries on.

Join UNISON online today Agenda for Change - the NHS staff council working in partnership Equality in UNISON, find our more