A construction union has slammed news that the Department of Health ignored a key recommendation made by the influential NHS Pay Review Body, making its campaign for pay justice for its members more problematic.

A top UCATT member branded this as "contempt for building craftworkers" after having undertaken a long campaign to win National Retention and Recruitment Premia for the workers in the NHS.

The workers who comprise highly skilled bricklayers, carpenters and painters do not automatically receive NRRP payments of £3,200, unlike NHS maintenance craft workers.

The campaign to achieve NRRP for Building Craft Workers has been hampered because the NHS has failed to provide accurate workforce data on building craft workers, including issues such as age profile, vacancies and turnover rates. Instead Building Craft Workers, who are a specialist section of the workforce have been lumped into a meaningless section described as ancillary and maintenance staff.


Last year as part of the NHS pay negotiations the Pay Review Body said: "We agree with UCATT that there is a lack of sufficiently-detailed workforce statistics relating to building craft workers, and other non-clinical staff in the NHS. The Health Departments have accepted our recommendations and are taking action: we hope that this will yield results and we will continue to monitor progress."

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "The attitude of the Department of Health shows contempt for Building Craftworkers who keep hospitals running and contempt for the pay review body process. We are not looking for special favours but simply the ability to argue our case from a level playing field.

"Despite the Department of Health's refusal to follow the instructions of the Pay Review Body, UCATT will redouble its efforts to win justice for Building Craftworkers many of whom have dedicated their working lives to the NHS."

(CD/BMcC)