REGIONAL PAY IN NHS WOULD EXACERBATE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE

PROPOSALS by the Tory-Lib Dem Government to abandon a national pay structure in the NHS would be disastrous for terms and conditions of health service employees.

As fears grow that regional pay structures will be brought in to replace the existing arrangements, there is a danger of the North-South divide being exacerbated. The impact of Governments cuts since the last General Election will grow further if the national deal is abandoned.

A group of NHS trusts in the South West have already committed to forming a regional deal, while others around the country are now thought to be considering the move.

But the national pay structure has underpinned and stabilised the NHS since it was introduced. It has removed the inequity that previously existed where some nurses earned as little as £12,000 per year.

To remove it would be a retrograde step. In all parts of the country it would threaten the terms and conditions of employees, particularly in the North and Midlands where it would be a huge concern.

We’ve seen how Government cuts have had a disproportionate impact in the North and Midlands in terms of local authority funding, unemployment, homelessness and poverty. There’s every reason to expect this trend to be continued if national pay structures are replaced.