Why aren’t private health employers already paying MORE than the NHS?
A hospital ward: the NHS employs workers in many more areas than merely medical care – many from private firms. Why aren’t they all on compatible pay rates and why should public funds support pay rises in private firms?
The trade union Unison has said that workers employed by private health companies – that work within the NHS – should not miss out on the three per cent pay rise the government is providing.
I have a problem with this.
We have been told for years that private health firms should be allowed to provide NHS services because they can do so, better than if the NHS offered them in-house.
Surely that should also extend to pay?
If not – as appears to be the case – then doesn’t this prove that privatisation is just a backdoor means of inappropriately funnelling cash to bosses and shareholders, that should be used on health treatments?
Also, if pay rates aren’t equal, then doesn’t this make it possible for employers to set private and public-sector workers against each other?
Finally, if private firms match the pay rise, won’t the money actually come from the UK Treasury – so the increase will be funded by the public, rather than by the private shareholders who should be providing it?
Unison has opened a huge can of worms here. Can anybody think of a solution to these problems?
Source: Union calls on private NHS employers to match public-sector pay rises | NHS | The Guardian
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surely, if the private companies are paying staff less than the NHS for the same job they would find it very difficult to hire and retain staff ?
It’s simple. The NHS should be reinvented as a ‘Service’ (clue’s in the name) and should directly employ its staff. It should be the Gold Standard for Pay and Conditions and should return to training nurses rather than expect them to turn up already with a degree. More medics should be trained here from our own people rather than steal much needed medics from countries like Kenya where we take so many they have shortages. There’s no shortage of willing applicants, there IS a shortage of training places – it’s a deliberate move by government and has nothing to do with Brexit, lack of Brits wanting to work for the NHS etc. Better pay and conditions would lead to better retention too and by conditions I also mean addressing toxic cultural issues such as bullying whistleblowers and being unable to admit when errors are made – end the cover-up culture.
Perhaps this wouldn’t be cheap but perhaps rather than stick it to the lowest earners as usual they could raise the UEL to ensure that the richest actually pay a decent percentage of their earnings as tax (as compared to the poorest)
Most of us would love to be TRULY proud of our NHS and know that those who work in it are well rewarded too. The Tories are running it down in preparation of breaking the link between NI and NHS and then giving us mandatory private providers whilst bringing in an ‘Earnings Tax’ which would be popular as it would be lower than the PAYE Tax/NIC system but would end our right to the NHS and all but the most basic funding from government for it. This policy has been kicking about for a long time but I truly believe that should the Tories be elected at the next GE they will actually go for it – using the pandemic as an excuse, talk of ‘fit for purpose’ etc. And if Starmer leads Labour into the next GE it’s very possible that the Tories WILL win..