As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have become quite an active member within the NHS Workers Say No campaign.
This movement erupted in July this year, when it was announced that most NHS staff would not be included in a public sector payrise. It was born out of years of frustration compounded by the repeated cuts to services and our wages in real terms. Within weeks the campaign had grown to 80,000 members of predominantly frontline staff who felt it was time we stand up as a collective and said NO.
For me personally this experience has been one of the most empowering of my life, the people working so hard to push for change are so inspiring, their passion infectious. I have found it hugely beneficial for my mental health to finally find people who are as incensed as me and prepared to really try and do something proactive about it.
Prior to this campaign my view of the unions was not very positive, I didn’t feel like they represented me either within my workplace or on a national scale. Initially I was a member of RCN which is the only union specifically for nurses, their reps were given unfettered access to us as students, presenting to over 100 members of my cohort and representing themselves as the only choice for trainee nurses. They aren’t. I will give them their dues, they do have a handy array of resources and literature that you are given access to as a member, but they aren’t the only option.
The four to five years I was with RCN, I had very little engagement and even when our last farce of a pay deal was being negotiated, I didn’t feel involved in the process. There was so much misinformation and confusion that left all of us without a clear grasp of what was on the table, when we were given the chance to vote I remember the vibe at the time was we better accept this or we will get nothing. After the whole debacle and the lingering feeling of disillusionment with RCN, I jumped ship – to UNISON.
I’m going to be completely honest, I did absolutely no research into the various unions, my experience taught me nothing. My limited knowledge led me to believe there was basically only one other option for us, being UNISON. I then continued using it as before, a bit of an insurance policy for if things go tits up, senior staff would explain it to us in this way. I had actually wanted to be union free after RCN, during maternity leave I was for a while, but was told it was a requirement for exactly those reasons, I needed a union for some sort of protection.
There was a time I needed them, and I remember ringing the rep trying to explain my situation, this was after I’d already sent out emails which went unanswered. Although emotional, I tried to explain how I was currently off sick with stress which was greatly due to work. I was an experienced Staff Nurse in A&E, studying for a masters in Advanced Clinical Practice with very little support from my department. Despite being told there would be an increase in my banding and time made available for the practical side of my learning, for almost a year I worked my band 5 job and used my days off/annual leave to work with my mentor. On top of the normal overwhelming pressures of working in A&E, this was too much, and I basically had a mental breakdown. After vomiting out my frustrations to the rep, her response was “urrrrm, what do you want me to do about it?”.
I dunno, something to help maybe?
I moved on from the role and the Trust, leaving the masters and almost my career behind. There was one feeling I couldn’t shake off, that this experience can’t just be a bad experience, we have to learn from this, I needed something good to come from what had been some of the darkest days of my life. I fought for change within my old trust, I presented to the board on why their mental health support for staff needed improvements, and I hammered home that trainee ACPs needed structured training and time hands on to learn. I know that it helped to prompt some positive change, and I did it without the unions.
What that experience showed me is that actually those in upper management do listen and respond well to the concerns of their staff. They seemed genuinely sorry for the experience I had and were open to ideas on improvement. I can’t say this for every trust, it is obviously just my limited experience, but it definitely empowered me personally to speak up.
Despite this and my new found passion in politics, my engagement with the union didn’t massively improve. At one point I contacted the Branch about becoming a steward, but held off because I didn’t think I could commit the time, and I suppose I was still a bit disillusioned with the unions. The NHS Workers Say No campaign gave me the kick up the arse I needed to take a bit more ownership of the situation and become more active. I’m not going to pretend I’m now an expert in all things UNISON, but I’m learning a lot on my activist training and making small steps to become more proactive.
What has been interesting is the lack of engagement with the NHS Workers Say NO campaign from leading healthcare unions. There are individuals within those who have a foot firmly in both camps, but publicly we are seen as some sort of pressure group. I suppose when you get down to the crooks of it, we are putting pressure on the government along with unions, to improve our situation. However the term detracts from what we really are, frustrated frontline workers, who also happen to be union members. Whilst I expected there would be push back from politicians and some members of the community, I didn’t expect leading members of unions to react as negatively as they have in some cases. When you’ve got experienced senior representatives for a major healthcare union essentially trolling campaigners like Trump, something is seriously wrong with the system.
For any of you reading this – look where that got him.
What is clear is that the hierarchical bullshit attitudes that is endemic within the NHS, has permeated our unions aswell. My Dad was a firefighter. I can remember him in the 90’s stood round an oil drum with a fire on the go, striking. It’s interesting because many of the leaders for the NHS say no campaign, also have a firefighter father, and recall similar memories which must have made a searing impression on us all. My Dad is disgusted with our unions. He is actually in disbelief at the lack of action and disengagement with our campaign.
Whilst I’m inclined to agree, luckily this campaign has shown me that not everyone within the unions harbour the same attitude, and without more people willing to stand up and challenge the system, things will never improve.
So to anyone reading who isn’t active within their unions, pull your finger out mate, cause now is the time.
Despite the desperate attempts to intimidate and bully members of the campaign, it only fuels the desire to push harder for change. This is not a competition. The time for egos has long gone, and in honesty is what has led us oppressively into to this mess.
The behaviour I have witnessed on the social media of the NHS campaign by leaders within the union is completely unacceptable. Showing their lack of basic understanding of how to communicate let alone negotiate, which is genuinely concerning and perhaps demonstrates why we never seem to get any tangible increase in pay. Unions should not be making this an us/them situation, we should be standing United.
The exchanges I’ve seen have caused members to leave that particular union, if that doesn’t tell you that your attitude is off putting, I don’t know what will.
Whilst we make criticism, we make suggestions for positive changes. The nhs say no campaign has actively encouraged people to take a much more active role within their unions, which they should be relishing in. This passion and enthusiasm should be harnessed by themes lead the next wave of activists, not treat us as imposters, we are your colleagues and the people you are supposed to represent.
Let’s be truthful, this campaign and Nurses United would not exist if there wasn’t a need for it. If members felt represented and could see unions fighting for them, the campaign would be defunct.
This should be used as a massive learning exercise for all the healthcare unions and they should be conducting some serious research into what they could be doing better. It was Einstein that said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results, it doesn’t take Einstein to realise we need to drastically change the current formula, what we’ve been doing isn’t working effectively. Stop being indignant, and reassess.
We don’t have a strong enough voice, we bow down to government when we should be standing locked eyes with them. The recent announcements regarding the 1% pay cap and increasing nursing ratios in ITU elicited a limp response from RCN, further comments from one of their leading representatives reminded us that we are in a pandemic, what do you expect?
Perhaps a bit of backbone?
Perhaps a reminder to government that we wouldn’t be in this staffing crisis and far better equipped to deal with the increased workload of the pandemic if they hadn’t decimated the NHS and severely underfunded it for a decade prior? Demanding answers on their plans to recruit and retain the staff they promised?
I dunno, something along those lines maybe?
Have they just given up? Is it obstinance? Or is it worse that they are advocating for the people they should be challenging?
I’m not sure, but there needs a major shake up in approach to successfully challenge this government.
Complacency isn’t enough, it was mentioned to me about sourcing cheap food and other things for staff to enjoy Christmas, stating the staff aren’t as affluent here so need a bit of help. We get paid the same. What it means is that they are less likely to have someone in their household earning enough to allow them to survive.
Unions are not a food bank. Yes I get that we should be supporting members where we can if in financial difficulty, but this isn’t a one off. Our wage should be enough to live on without needing subsidised food. Topping up someone’s shopping will not solve the problem, fighting for a decent pay rise will.
My last gripe is with NHS trusts and the senior management. It seems to vary on the support shown towards the fight for a payrise, but there are very few if any, publicly shouting about it. Why is it that they wouldn’t want to support their staff in the fight for fair pay. Surely it wouldn’t be a case of it coming directly out of their pockets, there would be a general increase in central funding. Perhaps that is a worry though as I’m sure with the announcements of an increase to teachers pay, schools were told that would need to be sourced out of their existing budgets. Despite this surely it would be something they could challenge, and with the issues regarding staffing you would assume it would be beneficial to them.
Why do Trusts remain so impartial?
What exactly are they scared of?
When those at the top of the management tree, not only of NHS trusts but also of the Unions, are earning more than the Prime Minister, you have to wonder if it might be fear of a change to their own salaries. Or perhaps I’m being cynical.
You‘ll probably be please to know I’m done ranting for today. However if you like to see/hear me go for it in a slightly more inventive way, check this out 👇