Health Board attempt one off payment in dispute over £9000 per year pay loss

 

Outraged Welsh health visitors have rejected a pay offer from the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (CTMUHB) in their ongoing pay dispute.

 

Health visitors provide vital services to babies, children and families but CTMUHB are currently failing to pay their health visitors their correct salary, resulting in them being underpaid by up to £9000 per year. As a result, health visitors have been on strike since February causing thousands of missed appointments.

 

Now, CTMUHB has attempted to end the dispute with a shocking and insulting pay offer. Instead of paying the correct salary every year, that instead offered a one-off payment of just over £5000 that would still be subject to tax and other deductions. This fails to address the fundamental issue at stake and has incensed health visitors who rejected it with a 99 per cent majority.

 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "This is an utterly ludicrous offer from a health board that has lost all credibility. Its own internal job evaluation said its health visitors should be on a higher pay band, the Welsh government has called on it to honour that and yet it chooses to just insult our members with a pathetically low, one-off lump sum.

 

All the health board has done is further incense these incredibly brave and courageous women who will not back down until they are paid what they are owed."

 

The previous cabinet secretary for health and social care, Jermey Miles, issued an instruction to the health board to honour the job evaluation process. The leader of Plaid Cymru and current first minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth has also signed an open letter, calling on CTMUHB to “honour agreed processes and upgrade all band six health visitors to band seven, and restore principles of partnership working.”

 

Prior to taking strike action, Unite offered to provide a significant level of cover to families during the dispute.  Unfortunately, this offer was dismissed by Mr Hywel Daniel, director of people at CTMUHB making it clear that any partial performance would not be accepted by the health board, staff would not be entitled to pay and any work carried out would be considered purely voluntary.

 

Unite regional officer Paul Seppman said: "This is yet another blunder by Hywel Daniel and the CTMUHB. Unite reiterates its call for Mr Daniel to resign so that this dispute can be resolved by someone who acts in the best interest of the families in South Wales served by our members.

 

Our members want to return to work but won’t do so until they are being paid the correct salary. They continue to have the complete backing of Unite in this dispute."