Health chiefs call for political intervention over staff pay awards

Political intervention to provide additional funding is required in order to settle pay claims from health workers in Northern Ireland, trust chiefs have said.

The chief executives of the region's six health trusts have written to Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, telling him that pay awards cannot be subsidiary to work being done to restore the Stormont Assembly.

Public sector pay decisions in Northern Ireland are devolved to ministers at Stormont, but the powersharing institutions are currently not operating due to a DUP protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Northern Ireland's health service is facing significant budget pressures and the Department of Health has said there is no funding to provide a pay rise for workers.

A number of unions have been involved in or are planning industrial action.

In their joint letter, the health chiefs said they want to emphasise "in the strongest possible terms the need for concrete action" on pay awards for staff."

They added: "It is unsustainable and unfair that they should be left with a de facto pay freeze during a cost-of-living crisis."

"This sends out entirely the wrong signal on how health and social care staff are valued by society."

"It should also be stressed that staff retention is becoming an increasingly acute problem for services across HSC (health and social care)."

"You will be aware that the 2019 health pay dispute was only resolved with the re-establishment of pay parity with England."

"It is hugely frustrating to see history repeating itself within four years."

The letter said the Department of Health in Northern Ireland cannot match English pay offers for this year."

It added: "Under the current budgetary settlement, this would only be possible with large-scale cuts on an unprecedented scale."

"No-one wants that option and the department has undoubtedly been left in an impossible position."

"Please be assured that we are very mindful of the many pressures on public funding both in Northern Ireland and across the UK."

"It is nevertheless clear that a political intervention on additional funding is required before the pay issue can be resolved."

The letter said that further industrial action this winter would have a heavy impact on an "already fragile health and care system".

It concluded: "Consequently, we are appealing directly to you to do all in your power to find a solution to the 2023/24 pay issue."

"This cannot be a subsidiary issue to the work being done to restore the Northern Ireland Assembly, as important as that may be."

The letter was signed by Northern Ireland Ambulance Service chief executive Michael Bloomfield, South Eastern Trust chief executive Roisin Coulter, Western Trust chief executive Neil Guckian, Belfast Trust chief executive Cathy Jack, Southern Trust chief executive Maria O'Kane and Northern Trust chief executive Jennifer Walsh.

In a social media post, the Department of Health said it welcomed the intervention from the trusts.

It added: "We fully agree that the current position with HSC staff pay is unsustainable and unfair."

A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said: "The UK Government does not have any authority to negotiate pay in Northern Ireland, it will be for the Northern Ireland Department of Health to make final decisions on pay policies.

"Sustainable public finances are critical to pave the way for long-awaited improvement and transformation of the public services that we all rely on and want to protect."

"It remains the Government's top priority to restore the Executive and for locally accountable political leaders to take fundamental decisions on Northern Ireland's public services and deliver better outcomes for the people of Northern Ireland."