Employers urged to respond to pensions review
NHS Employers has called on organisations that employ staff in the NHS to respond to the NHS Pension Scheme review consultation document. The process is now approaching its final month and to date more than 1,500 responses have been received. The closing date for the consultation is 11 April. At its first meeting last week, the NHS Employers policy board agreed that NHS organisations need to ensure the voice of employers, as well as those of individuals and staff-side organisations, is heard. John Rostill, who chairs NHS Employers assembly and policy board, said: “It is important that we hear from as many people as possible, including the boards of organisations that employ staff and the individuals themselves.”
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Agenda for Change pay restructuring falters
NHS HR departments are struggling to implement the massive overhaul of the service’s pay structure in order to introduce a pay increase in April. Reports last week said delivery of nurses’ pay rise may be delayed as NHS employers struggle to switch to the Agenda for Change. Unison said it had heard that some payroll departments were battling to transfer staff records onto the new system, which will deliver the 3.225% pay rise, before the 1 April deadline. “We are saying the pay rise should be paid on the existing pay system and on Agenda for Change rates from April 1,” said the union’s head of nursing, Gail Adams. “To delay could cause difficulties. Staff might not want to wait, and decide to change employment.”
