Letters to the editor: NHS pay delay

Every day the government delays further, hardworking and dedicated staff are losing out. If Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak had acted on UNISON’s call for a fair, and reasonable pay rise of £2k for everyone working in the NHS, health workers would be earning an extra £38.46 a week.

Writing to local papers is a powerful way to grab MPs attention and pressure them into action to secure NHS workers the pay rise they deserve.

Tips for writing your letter to the editor:

• Letters to the editor should be short and to the point, try to keep to around 200 words.
• Take a local angle, include local information or experiences of your branch members, rather than focusing on the national picture.
• Your letter will be stronger if it’s sent on behalf of a group of NHS staff or your whole branch. Gather a group of staff to co-sign the letter or send as Branch Secretary on behalf of your branch.
• If you’re sending the letter as a group of staff you can do so anonymously, just include information on how many people have signed, the roles you work in and where.

What to include in your letter:

• Explain that NHS staff are due a pay rise on 1st April but this spring their pay packets will remain unchanged due to the government’s delays.
• Make it clear that it’s politicians in charge of NHS pay, they can choose to give NHS workers a fair pay rise now, or make health workers wait even longer.
• Share the experiences of your branch members during the pandemic, and how they feel about pay delays and the government’s 1% initial pay offer.

Call on local MPs and the public to back a pay rise of £2k for everyone working in the NHS ASAP.

Once you’ve put together your letter:

• Think about which local papers cover your area, you can pick more than one.
• To email in your letter, you can search for contact details for local papers using the link below or visit their website directly.

FIND LOCAL PAPER CONTACT INFO