25.05.1995

Health unions hold their fire

Anger amongst healthworkers runs high, but many accept that 3% is the most they can expect

FACED WITH almost the entire NHS workforce ranged against it, it now seems inconceivable that the government will not, sooner or later, beat a temporary retreat in its drive to impose local pay deals.

Unions representing 800,000 healthworkers are ready to formally ballot their members on industrial action. Unison, the largest health union, is armed with 91% support for action in its recent membership consultation, to which more than 40% of the 440,000 members responded. Senior health service managers quickly agreed to talks with the unions, after Unison’s head of health, Bob Abberley, announced a “period of grace” until July 5, when the ballot is due to begin.

This delay will allow time for the Royal College of Nursing to ballot its 300,000 members on dropping its no-strike clause. The Royal College of Midwives (36,000 members) has also suspended its strike ballot for a month, while the Health Visitors’ Association (16,000) says that it too will need that long to draw up its complete membership list before it is ready to ballot.

Under the law any action has to be taken within 28 days of the ballot result, so it is clear that Unison, the RCM and the HVA are delaying to allow the nurses to get on stream. These signs of union coordination are of course welcome in themselves, but the “window of opportunity” for talks will also allow the government to plan its own strategy. It will continue its efforts to divide helathworkers - both through the local negotiations ploy and along union lines - and attempt to weaken their resolve through piecemeal concessions.

Healthworkers have been handicapped by the pitifully low expectations which their leaders have instilled. Unison’s original claims of between eight and fifteen percent increases in pay have sunk without trace - a national spokesperson recently had to look up details of the official demands in order to inform the Weekly Worker - and a national three percent unconditional award would now be considered by all the unions as a stunning victory.

Three percent would in fact represent a pay cut, but the RCN’s Christine Hancock has stated she would be happy if most of her members could achieve that, through local negotiations. Healthworkers themselves will have to organise for action and push far beyond the limits set by the bureaucrats.

Whatever the outcome of the dispute, one thing is certain: things will never be the same again for the great mass of health service workers. In the words of health minister Gerald Malone, the “professional standing” of the RCN has been called into question, as it continues the process of transforming itself into “just another union”, along with the other ‘professional’ bodies. This is a process which we can only welcome.

Alan Fox