No extra pay for NHS staff on Diamond Jubilee bank holiday 'is mean-spirited'
HEALTH bosses are coming under pressure to give nurses, paramedics and hospital staff extra wages to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Unite says hospital and ambulance staff in East Yorkshire will lose out on extra pay after the Government declared Tuesday a bank holiday as part of the royal celebration.
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NO BONUS: Staff at hospitals including Hull Royal Infirmary will not be paid extra for working on Tuesday. Picture: Jim Mitchell
The union has pointed the finger at four of East Yorkshire's NHS trusts in their "name and shame" list of 113 not giving staff extra wages for working on Tuesday.
Although health officials say staff working on Tuesday will receive time in lieu, Unite has accused employers are "behaving in a mean-spirited fashion" by treating the bank holiday as a normal working day.
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Rachael Maskell, the union's head of health, said: "Even at this 11th hour, we call upon Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to instruct employers to honour the long-established bank holiday arrangements.
"This is going to hit thousands of NHS staff, who will be maintaining the smooth-running of the health service without any acknowledgement from their employers of this special day, while millions of others will be enjoying the occasion."
Unite wrote to the Queen about the issue and said staff will be hit by extra childcare costs, as well as disruption travelling to work.
The Department of Health said the decision over NHS staff holidays on Tuesday is up to employers.
Stephen Moir, deputy chief executive at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said under NHS terms and conditions, staff were entitled to eight general public holidays a year.
He said the trust's decision not to give staff extra pay "mirrors the approach" nationally.
Mr Moir said all staff will receive an extra day of annual leave, with some taking their day on Tuesday and those who work taking their day later.
Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, said staff who work on Tuesday will also be "paid as a normal working day".
Jayne Adamson, chief of workforce and organisational development, said: "The trust has adopted the same policy for the Diamond Jubilee weekend as we did for the Royal Wedding.
"We have asked all staff who can do so to take Tuesday as a bank holiday.
"All staff who are critical for patient care need to be here, as I'm sure most people would expect.
"However, they will receive an additional day of annual leave as compensation."
Staff at Northern Lincolnshire And Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Goole And District Hospital, and Scarborough And North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Bridlington Hospital, will also receive an extra day's holiday but no extra pay.
Comments
by smartguy1
Thursday, May 31 2012, 10:27PM
“Didn't realise they still got their day. No case to argue in my opinion. No doubt the unions wanted double pay and a day off for their workers. Come on, this is 2012.”
by Suzannah100
Thursday, May 31 2012, 10:17PM
“I work in the NHS and I could have taken the day off or worked it and had a lieu day. You can't say fairer than that, there are lots of people in the UK who would love to have such excellent pay and conditions. People should open their eyes and look around them, a lot of people are experiencing extreme hardship right now and they should appreciate what they've got, I know I do.”
by Strangley
Thursday, May 31 2012, 10:04PM
“No "Bread & Circuses" for me this weekend. It's work as usual with no extra pay or time in lieu. Can't say it worries me too much.”
by smartguy1
Thursday, May 31 2012, 9:28PM
“Personally I don't see the problem other than so and so is getting an extra days holiday so why can't I. This is a one off extra bank holiday day that will not apply again for a long long time. If you work in this sector you are always going to have to work at christmas, new year, easter etc etc.It goes with the job. It's just another excuse for the unions to have a go. Yes if I worked in that sector I would like the day off but being made redundant 3 times in 10 years due to working for companies that have either been taken over or gone out of business gives me a different outlook. It is it is better to have a job than to whinge about not having the day off. It will all be forgotten about by this time next week.”
by peterw6889
Thursday, May 31 2012, 8:07PM
“nhslucky
Avarice strikes again. Your lucky to have a job!”
by BevRoadNorth
Thursday, May 31 2012, 7:56PM
“Its rather shabby tactics the union trying to involve the Queen at jubilee time. So theyre not happy at 'just' being paid to do their job, they expect more? Theres many more would be happy to relieve them of the great inconvenience of having to attend and be paid for doing their job, especially when so many of us have lost ours due to cuts.”
by nhslucky
Thursday, May 31 2012, 7:33PM
“Take it or leave it eh? Oh o.k we will choose to leave it and spend the day with our families instead of working for no extra pay!! Lets just hope noone needs emergency care on tuesday then as if we all decide to "leave it" there will be a closed sign on the door when you all turn up at HRI !!!!
For goodness sake change the record and stop having a go at NHS workers, oh, and enjoy your two days off!!!!!!”
by peterw6889
Thursday, May 31 2012, 7:22PM
“Working bank holidays is part of their job and always has been.There is no legal obligation for employers to pay bank holidays,in fact some workers have them included as part of their holiday entitlement and do not get time off in lieu nor will they get additional time off for the jubilee.Be satisfied with what you have.Once again the public services do better than the workers in the private sector”
by Demonica666
Thursday, May 31 2012, 5:48PM
“@david_nivea; 'The Queen can't retire and has had no choice about her life, unllike NHS staff who are free to leave if they don't like it, or in the case of doctors, go on strike to complain about their £70,000 a year pensions after earning £100K pa for years'.
In actual fact the Queen can retire and hand over her crown to the heir apparent. History shows that royal families of the Netherlands, Luxembourg and even Cambodia have done so. Although what this has to do with public sector workers being paid nothing extra for working a bank holiday is beyond me.”
by David_Nivea
Thursday, May 31 2012, 5:11PM
“@Gaia69: "Edward and his Mrs Simpson? Lady Diana Spencer? Captain Mark Phillips? All chose retirement rather than royal duty... (Sarah Fergusson?)"
None of these were anointed monarchs: Edward VIII was never crowned, btw: he abdicated before the serious stuff.
Please brush up on your history before embarrassing yourself further.”