GMB in the Scottish Ambulance Service: NHS Pay Consultative Ballot, Thursday 5 July to Monday 13 August – GMB will urge members to REJECT this unfair and unequal offer
The priority of GMB Scotland is the defence of your interests.
That’s why GMB has consistently campaigned for a pay award that not only beats the cost of living but tackles a decade of cuts imposed on our SAS staff.
But the truth is that the Scottish Government’s offer doesn’t meet these expectations and that is why your senior reps are unanimous that GMB Scotland members should reject the three year pay offer as it stands.
The reasons why are straightforward:
· The three year offer gives no guarantees that it will consistently match the cost of living for you – it does not deliver “9 per cent”, it offers 3%, 2.72% and 2.86% for the next three years.
· The offer would commit staff and their trade unions to a programme of as yet undefined reforms to terms and conditions, leaving you vulnerable to further cuts in the near future – why would we agree to something that is unknown?
· The percentage increase for grades up to £80,000 and the £1,600 flat cash increase for grades above £80,000 means the highest paid will receive a bigger pay increase than the lowest paid – that’s ludicrous after ten years of austerity.
The devil is the detail and as it stands, this offer is unfair, unequal and would commit us to reforms that are unknown.
This is not a credible prescription for tackling a decade of austerity on staff working harder than ever to keep the SAS running day in and day out.
Neither should the Scottish Government attempt to distract from the realities of this offer by justifying it off the back of the real-terms pay cut for the NHS in England. That’s just not good enough.
Our priority should be about getting the best deal possible for NHS Scotland and SAS staff. That’s what GMB has been campaigning for and we are clear that more still needs to be done for all staff, not just those earning over £80,000.
Our consultative ballot over this offer will begin on Thursday 5 July and run until Monday 13 August.
GMB will ballot our members in the workplace but if we don’t ballot you at work, you will receive a postal ballot. So please ensure your contact details, particularly mobiles, are to up to date.
Only GMB members can participate in our ballot so if you know colleagues who are not part of a trade union and want to campaign for fair pay, they can join today at www.gmb.org.uk/join
Posted: 26th June 2018