Get involved!
A big part of our campaign is to talk to politicians across the UK to get their support and put pressure on the government to bring forward an early pay deal (before the April 2021 due date). We also want to make sure that any pay for midwives, MSWs and other NHS staff does not come out of existing NHS budgets. Why not add pay to the agenda at your next RCM branch meeting and discuss ways you can get the message out there? The RCM is always happy to come along and speak at your meetings as well.
A letter or email from you as constituents and NHS staff is much more powerful than the RCM alone doing this. We have created a ‘how to’ guide to give you a bit of support to get started.
- Tell them about how your pay has been held down for years – and if you have ways of demonstrating the impact that has had on you and your family
- Tell them what it has been like to work in the NHS during the pandemic. If you have had worries and concerns but gone into work nonetheless, tell them about how it has felt
- If you are having financial difficulties especially if they are caused by the pandemic and are comfortable telling them about this, please do so
- Say that you support the RCM’s call for an early and significant pay rise for frontline NHS staff like yourself. Next April is too long to wait. It should be brought forward into this year.
Let us know what they say!
Read the RCM’s ‘how to’ guide that explains exactly what you need to do in all four parts of the UK to contact your local politician.
The biggest impact you can have is by speaking with your MP directly. Don’t worry! That’s not as intimidating as it may sound. Here’s a guide and a video that explains everything you need to know:
The RCM nationally has also been writing to politicians across the UK to say:
An early and significant pay rise for NHS staff will put money into the pockets of a million households up and down the country – in every city, town, and community – at a time when the economy, local and national, needs it most. This helps the economy at a moment when it is incredibly fragile.
An early and significant pay rise for NHS staff will help the NHS attract and keep staff in post. This will help us continue to fight the virus, of course, but also help the NHS rebuild afterwards too, which may take a long time.
An early and significant pay rise for NHS staff will reward staff who are helping the health service tackle the biggest challenge in NHS history – and the greatest threat to public health in 100 years.
We have written to:
- Members of the UK Parliament (MPs)
- Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
- Members of the Senedd (MSs)
- Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLAs)
Along with the other NHS trade unions we responded to the Comprehensive Spending Review (a spending review is the Treasury looking at the budgets of all the government departments and setting out how money will be spent). Setting out our arguments calling for you to get the early and significant pay rise that is long overdue. The spending review announcement on 25 November confirmed that the Government will take NHS Pay Review Body advice on a pay rise for NHS staff.