Northern Ireland members are willing to take industrial action

The Society of Radiographers recently sent a consultative survey to our members working in the Health and Social Care (HSC) regarding the pay award for 2022-23.

It is overwhelmingly clear from the results that our members are aggrieved at the lack of a fair and decent pay award. 91% of those that responded to the survey are willing to take industrial action if no pay award is implemented in Northern Ireland.

HSC workers have again lost pay parity and are the lowest paid amongst Agenda For Change workers in the UK. This is disgraceful considering how hard they have worked over the past 2 years dealing with the covid pandemic. Our members will not stand for it.

It is evident that SoR members would be deeply unhappy even if the derisory pay award was implemented as it won’t make the difference to their salaries required to deal with the soaring cost of living.

Whilst there is no government in Northern Ireland it is important that the Permanent Secretary for Health Mr Peter May realises the feeling amongst our members.

We ask that our politicians form a government and start working on the real issues that are effecting everyday people in society.

Protocols and clapping do not feed our member’s children or heat their homes. We need to see radiography workforce issues and waiting lists being dealt with immediately. The health service in Northern Ireland requires transformation as per Delivering Together, without it there is only destabilisation and the end of our HSC as we know it.

The Society plan to put arrangements for an industrial ballot on hold until the New Year. There is still time to pay our members and the rest of the health service staff a decent pay award but it must happen now to prevent industrial action.

Leandre Archer, national officer and head of industrial relations said, “We stand with our members in Northern Ireland and I want them to know they are heard. Unfortunately it feels like we are going back in time to 2019 when we fought for pay parity. We will again fight that fight to ensure equality for our members in Northern Ireland.”