HEALTH unions, Unison, the BMA, and RCN have refused to recognise a South West regional NHS cartel set up to cut pay and conditions.
The unions announced on Friday that they will not recognise the South West Pay, Terms and Conditions Consortium (SWC), which is comprised of bosses from 20 NHS trusts.
The consortium is considering not only breaking away from the national Agenda for Change framework, but also cuts to doctors and admin staff pay and conditions.
The BMA and other union negotiators have insisted that any talks on the pay, terms and conditions of their members must be done at national level.
The staff-side unions made the joint announcement following a meeting in response to two documents released by the SWC on Wednesday that claimed savings of £12m could be made through ‘cost-efficiencies’ on pay, terms and conditions across the region over three years.
These ‘cost-efficiencies’ include reducing annual leave, changing consultant on-call supplements, adding extra working hours, reducing incremental pay, and reducing sick pay benefits.
BMA south-west regional council chair John Hyslop said: ‘The logic (of maintaining national pay and conditions) is inescapable when you understand the problems of rurality in recruiting workers in the South West.
‘There’s no doubt that years of experience have taught us that the NHS relies upon being able to recruit healthcare professionals on a level playing field.
He stressed: ‘That, in many ways, explains the stability of the NHS workforce and its apparent productivity.’
NHS staff-side union chair, Unison head of health Christina McAnea, said: ‘Today we give notice that we do not recognise this pay cartel.
‘NHS staff are paid on national terms and conditions. Any negotiations to alter them should be on a national level.
‘SWC has no status, or authority to enter into negotiations, and the trades unions will not be engaging with any proposals made by it to cut pay, terms and conditions of our members.’
Referring to the cartel membership fee, McAnea added: ‘It beggars belief that at a time of financial constraint across the NHS, 20 trusts have ploughed £200,000 into a scheme whose only outcome will be to penalise hard-working staff.’
