A PROPOSAL to change how a range of health service staff are paid has been halted by Stormont Health Minister Michelle O’Neill.
Health chiefs were proposing to pay low paid catering, portering, telephony, domestic, estates, transport and sewing room staff at the Downe Hospital monthly instead of weekly from the end of September.
The controversial proposal — which applied to over 12,000 staff across the Province — would also have impacted upon health workers who provide domicilary care in the community and those who work in local disability centres.
Angry South Eastern Trust staff recently staged a protest outside the Downe Hospital over the proposed changes but are delighted at Miss O’Neill’s intervention and insistence that for now, staff can continue to be paid weekly.
The Minister said she had listened to the issues raised by staff who would have been affected by the change in frequency of pay and decided to retain the current arrangements for weekly and fortnightly paid employees.
Mis O’Neill added: “The change on pay frequency would have impacted upon 12,000 staff, particularly women on lower pay scales. I want to reassure those people that I appreciate their financial concerns and do not want to add to their pressures.”
Her decision has been welcomed Unison which recently decided to ballot for strike action on the issue and is delighted the proposal has been halted. The organisation’s regional secretary, Patricia McKeown, said Ms O’Neill has recognised that women workers, low paid and part time particularly, would be adversely affected by the change.
“We note that the Minister has halted the move to single pay frequency rather than completely abandoning it. Consequently, we will halt our strike ballot,” she continued.
“Many changes need to be made to health service pay including the introduction of a ‘living wage’ and the need to tackle the fact that health workers in Northern Ireland have fallen behind the pay levels of their counterparts in GB. The Minister’s decision now clears the way for meaningful negotiations on these key issues.”
South Down MP Margaret Ritchie has welcomed the ministerial decision to halt proposals to pay low paid health service monthly instead of weekly.
“These proposals have caused a great deal of worry, distress and financial concern for staff who are on the lowest payment band. It was completely unreasonable for the South Eastern Trust to recommend moving wage payments from a weekly or fortnightly basis to a monthly schedule without the full agreement of staff,” she continued.
The MP added: “I welcome the decision to keep payments on their current programme. I have no doubt this will be welcome news to the number of constituents working in the Downe who contacted me to outline their concerns about this issue.”
A South Eastern Trust spokeswoman said it had planned to move all staff, except so-called bank staff, to a single pay frequency in order to ensure payroll arrangements operate more efficiently and effectively.
She added: “The Health Minister has made a decision to halt the transition from weekly and fortnightly pay to monthly pay for these staff. In light of this decision, the proposed transition effective from this September will not take place.”