BY IGNORING the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body last year, the government forced health workers in England and Northern Ireland to take strike action over pay for the first time in 34 years.

No member of NHS staff ever takes strike action lightly. But for many, they had simply had enough.

Whether they are healthcare assistants, porters, catering staff, nurses or occupational therapists, all NHS staff care about patients.

They care about the service that they provide. And they care about the NHS as a whole.

I am proud of the fact our members were prepared to take strike action without compromising patient care. It sent a warning that NHS workers will not sit back and do nothing when their standard of living is attacked. 

It was only following the threat of further strike action in January that the government was forced to come to the negotiating table.

The final deal went some way to addressing part of Unison’s key concerns about low pay in the NHS and over 250,000 of those on the lowest pay bands have received a pay increase of between 2.1 per cent and 5.6 per cent.

But it falls short of what NHS staff deserve.

Inflation has continued to rise from 2010 until recently and the value of pay has fallen by at least 12 per cent.

NHS staff already know this — they live with the reality of it every day as they struggle to make their pay stretch so they can look after their families and pay their bills.

We have members — NHS workers — who are forced to rely on foodbanks. And this at a time when the demands placed on the health service and the staff who work there keep growing.

The Tory-led government’s oft repeated mantra that they have “protected” the NHS doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. 

What they mean is that they haven’t slashed its budget as much as the budgets for some other key public services — most notably local government and social services.

Historically the NHS has needed a funding injection of between 4 and 5 per cent each year just to keep pace with demand and inflationary pressures. Instead a standstill budget coupled with so-called “efficiency savings” has meant real-terms cuts.

This has clearly come to a head with repeated A&E crises, waiting time and cancer treatment times continually breached and a record number of NHS trusts declaring “major incidents” and going into financial deficits.

Some commentators have argued that during a time of austerity everyone must share the pain, but it’s NHS staff who have paid the price of maintaining a viable NHS through cuts to their pay and attacks on their terms and conditions.

We must ask ourselves what really is around the corner if the Tories get back in.

Somewhat late in the day NHS chief executive Simon Stevens and even David Cameron have said pay restraint is not a long-term solution.

But at the same time, the Tories seem to be licking their lips over the prospect of scrapping unsocial hours payments — a lifeline for many workers that can mean the difference between making ends meet and severe financial pain.

Let’s put this into perspective. The average earnings of a nurse are around £29,000 — that’s earnings not pay, and therefore includes an average of £3,000 in unsocial hours payments.

This is not a high-paying profession even though it is a physically, mentally and intellectually demanding job. And the same can be said for many other health professions. 

We have the most effective and efficient NHS in the world and it delivers universal care and value for money.

To keep it that way, whichever government is elected in May needs to commit to a funding policy that includes real increases of 4 to 5 per cent each year.

This means removing the internal market — which most doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals hate; to end the requirement in England for competition; to commit to national pay and conditions for the NHS workforce and deliver an integrated service based on patient needs, not on driving down costs.

I make no apology for highlighting the need for a pay strategy that rewards health workers fairly for the demanding jobs they do.

This is because having an NHS that values staff and can recruit and retain a high-quality workforce is ultimately good for patients. 

Unison’s campaign in the run-up to this election is to remind our members and the public that if they value the NHS they must vote for the NHS.

Look at the record of the parties across Britain on the NHS. Under the Tory-Lib Dem coalition we have seen high waiting times, cuts to NHS funding and the slashing of social care budgets.

Privatisation is increasing, with private companies — even those with proven appalling records in the NHS — queuing up to grab profits.

If the past five years have been bad enough, imagine the damage after 10 years of a Tory-led government. Care for it? Vote for it!

• Christine McAnea is Unison head of health.