A petition to ensure that all NHS bank staff in England receive non-consolidated pay increases like their colleagues is gaining traction, as more than a million NHS staff receive a backdated pay increase.
Today (1 June) all eligible NHS England staff on “Agenda for Change” contracts will receive a 5% consolidated pay rise worth at least £1,065, backdated to April, with those on the lowest pay bands receiving a greater uplift in salary. They will also receive a “backlog bonus” of at least £1,250, but the exact figure will be determined by their pay band.
Agenda for Change staff will also receive a non-consolidated award of 2% of their salary for 2022 to 2023 under the NHS pay deal. This is worth at least £1,400.
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However, NHS bank staff, who are temporary workers on zero-hours contracts, are excluded from the non-consolidated elements of the deal. There is no national bank contract and the terms of each are set at a local level by individual NHS trusts.
The petition, which has received more than 15,100 signatures at the time of writing, presses the government to include NHS bank staff in England in awarding non-consolidated payments.
It says: “We want the government to ensure that all NHS bank staff in England, who have worked tirelessly for the NHS under Agenda for Change but are not directly employed by NHS trusts, receive non-consolidated payments as part of the NHS pay deal.
“It is unfair that some NHS staff will receive one-off payments and others won’t when they do exactly the same jobs and worked through Covid, covering all areas of healthcare with dedication and flexibility.
“Scotland and Wales bank staff are set to receive these payments. We believe it is unacceptable that many of their English counterparts are not.”
A report from local news outlet Devon Live suggested that bank staff working in NHS hospitals felt dishearted to see their colleagues directly employed by NHS England receive higher pay awards than bank staff doing the same job.
One bank healthcare assistant told the newspaper: “It’s been awful to be treated like this. We’re just not included, but we are included in everything they do in the hospital and we are paid by the NHS but we’re obviously not being treated equally with the permanent staff.”
Another said: “It’s really sad for people who had to work on the Covid ward as bank staff and not to get the pay award. We’re talking a lot of people.”
Unison, one of the largest unions representing NHS workers, this week published advice for trade union reps and organisers regarding campaigning, organising and bargaining opportunities around bank contracts.
It suggests that there is an opportunity for unions to negotiate improvements to basic bank terms and outlines several improvements for them to consider opening negotiations around, including equalising pay and benefits, pay progression opportunities and building in the right to a disciplinary and grievance process.
The guidance says: “If you have a partnership agreement in place that allows for collective bargaining, then you may already be able to bargain and negotiate to improve the bank contract. Your employer may not see it this way or have a clause excluding negotiation around bank contracts.”
The Department of Health and Social Care has not commented on the petition.
Health and social care secretary Steve Barclay said: “More than one million of our hard-working NHS staff will begin to receive more money in their pay packet from today, including a backlog bonus for all their efforts during the pandemic.
“We’re giving nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists and other eligible staff a fair pay rise, which will see for example, band six staff getting an extra £5,000 over two years.
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“We hugely value the work of NHS staff and the vital role they’re playing to cut waiting lists, which is one of the government’s five priorities, and recognises the work they put in day in and day out.”
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