2014 pay: untangling the jargon

The 2014 NHS pay announcement explained
What does the announcement mean?

The government has announced that staff in England will only receive a 1% pay increase if they are at the top of their pay band but this will be a "non-consolidated sum".

This means it will be given as an additional sum, and won't be added on to hourly rates. So it won't count for unsocial hours or overtime payments.

This means that a member at the top of band 5 would get a sum amounting to about £5 per week.

The announcement also included confirmation that – unless staff are prepared to give up incremental progression and enter talks about reducing other contractual terms – the same settlement will be made next year too.

So by 2017, NHS staff will have had six years worth of effective pay cuts.

In Scotland, there will be a 1% rise for all pay points, plus changes to bring bottom points above living wage.

Wales will mirror the overall cost, but will talk to the trade unions about how this will be applied.

We are still awaiting a formal announcement from Northern Ireland.

What did the review body recommend?

The Pay Review Body report has been published today (13 March) and calls for "a 1% increase to all Agenda for Change pay points from 1 April 2014" and "a 1% increase to the High Cost Area Supplement minima and maxima from 1 April 2014".

Is there any relief for the lowest paid?

No. UNISON had argued strongly that the bottom two pay points should be raised to meet the living wage.

The government has chosen to ignore this for NHS staff in England.

This is a sleight of hand which means pushing more people into reliance on in-work benefits.

What is UNISON going to do about this?

UNISON has not ruled any options out, saying that we will be talking to members about how we respond.

Some other unions have already announced that they will ballot.

Although strike action is not ruled out by UNISON, head of health Christina McAnea has emphasised that NHS staff never take strike action lightly - so our membership will be considering this carefully, along with other options.

The pay settlement, and the government contempt it shows towards NHS staff, is bound to be a hot topic at UNISON's health conference in Brighton from 14 to 16 April.