John Williams, Cardiff Socialist Party
Over 100 health visitors in Unite at Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board are taking strike action for four weeks at the refusal of the board to pay them the correct salary based on their qualifications. This is costing them £8,000 to £9,000 per year.
Health visitors do vital community outreach work for new mothers and families, but their bosses refuse to acknowledge their skills. They are paid at band six, despite internal job-grading matching them as a band seven, acknowledging a Masters qualification.
Other health boards in Wales put their health visitors on the correct pay band. In Scotland they were put on band seven in 2017!
Reps Ceri and Jo started questioning the banding system at Cwm Taf Morgannwg in 2021, but management have stalled for five years, often refusing to discuss the issue at all. So the health visitors have been forced to begin one month of strike action, and are prepared to keep fighting for as long as it takes.
They held a mass meeting outside the board offices on day one of the strike, with a vibrant rally. Supporters came from other Unite branches in South Wales and Cardiff Trades Council, and health workers came from as far afield as London and Gloucester.
On 10 March they are lobbying the Senedd (Wales parliament). All trade unionists should come and support them.
- John Williams is standing for election to the LGBT seat on Unite’s Executive Council, alongside other Socialist Party members, as part of the ‘Workers Unite’ list
