Dave Reid, Secretary Cardiff General Unite branch
100 health visitors, members of Unite working for Cwm Taf Morgannwg, have won a huge victory after nine months on strike.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board has caved in and finally agreed to move all Band 6 health visitors to Band 7, finally recognising the skill and expertise of the women workforce and paying them the correct rate. The victory sets the standard for all health visitors in Wales and will set a precedent for health visitors in England too.
Health visitors play a vital role in supporting the parents of new-born babies and ensuring children have a good start to life.
Unite reps Kerry Parry and Jo Penny started fighting in 2021. Health board bosses signed an internal job grading which matched them as Band 7, acknowledging a Masters qualification. But the board ignored their own job description, costing many of the workers £9,000 a year. So after being stonewalled for five years, the health visitors started strike action on 23 February.
The workers showed enormous resilience, never wavering. In fact, more were on strike at the end of the dispute than when it started. First the Labour Welsh government then the Plaid Cymru government refused to intervene and instruct the health board to pay the rate for the job. As union rep Gemma Emmanuel said in September: “We have been out in winter coats, T-shirts and now raincoats, but we’re not giving in.”
They didn’t give in, and they won – a victory for health workers across the UK.
