The health minister Robin Swann has announced that all Health and Social care staff in Northern Ireland are to receive a pay uplift of 3% for all Agenda for Change pay points in the New Year and this will be backdated to April 2021.
This is the pay award as recommended by the Pay Review Body and will provide for parity with England.
Minister Swann praised all the staff that work in the HSC saying:
“I want to once again place on record my gratitude and admiration to all who work in our health and social care system. So many staff have worked extremely long hours under enormous pressure during the pandemic. Staff are the backbone of our health and social care services, and I want to recognise their continued professionalism in delivering high-quality effective care to people across Northern Ireland.”
The Minister continued: “While the Department’s budget this year remains under considerable financial pressure, I wish to further recognise the hard work and dedication of AfC staff during 21/22, and subject to the Department’s wider budget position easing, I am willing to prioritise a bid, as part of January monitoring, for additional resource to support a further non-consolidated award for most AfC staff in 2021/22.
“Any additional non-consolidated award will need to be approved by the Department of Finance.
“Like all my Executive colleagues, I have to operate within budgetary constraints set by the Treasury. While there are many conflicting demands on health spending, I am clear that properly rewarding staff is an important priority.”
Leandre Archer, National Officer for Northern Ireland said:
“This is an imposition of a pay award and whilst a financial uplift for our members is welcomed it does not come close to what they deserve especially in light of their tireless work over the past year.
Our members are fatigued and experiencing burn-out whilst working under immense pressure, but they continue to go the extra mile every day to ensure that imaging and radiotherapy services in Northern Ireland are maintained.
It is quite clear that in 2022-23 we need to see a prioritisation of recruitment and retention strategies for the radiography workforce in Northern Ireland and part of this must include enhanced pay and reward.”
The Joint Summit with trade unions and employers in the New Year will be an opportunity to highlight the issues and concerns within the workforce and I will be looking to our members to provide their views on pay, recruitment and retention as well as workforce capacity and demand issues.
I want to assure SoR members that the workforce pressures and problems they are experiencing are being voiced at the highest level within the trusts, the department of health and in political circles. I will continue to lobby for better pay, safe staffing levels and better workforce conditions for all.”
NI Members are asked to provide their views on this pay uplift and this information will inform discussions at the joint summit in the New Year. Please respond to survey you will receive by email. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact [email protected]
