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Amicus members vote for Agenda for Change

56% of Amicus' 80,000 health service members have voted to accept government proposals for pay modernisation and job standardisation in the NHS.

More than 17,000 Amicus members voted to support Agenda for Change which aims to establish harmonisation for Health Service employees on basic conditions of service including pay and working hours.

Gail Cartmail, Amicus' National Officer for Health, said: "This vote
endorses the broad principles of Agenda for Change, but the relatively narrow result indicates there are still problems that need to be resolved.

"Under the present proposals there will still be winners and losers so we regard this very much as the start rather than the end of the process. We will carry on working closely with our members and with government to ensure that everyone will benefit from the changes."

Mark Jones, the Director of the Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association, said: "The yes vote for the Agenda for Change package is good news for health visitors and community nurses. Not only does it give a welcome boost to their salaries, it also paves the way for a new way of working within the NHS, such as the implications for career development heralded by the Knowledge and Skills Framework. The CPHVA will be working within Amicus to ensure that the gains highlighted in Agenda for Change are consolidated and built on in the years to come."

Amicus' ballot did not make a voting recommendation, instead the union chose to provide as much information as possible to their members for them to decide.

Earlier last week 75% of Unison members voted to back Agenda for Change. The decision was welcomed by Health Secretary John Reid.

"The country's biggest union has endorsed the NHS' biggest ever pay and reform package," said Mr Reid. "NHS patients will benefit from the introduction of Agenda for Change. As staff begin to work more flexibly and enhance their skills, patients will experience faster and better care.

"Agenda for Change along with the new contracts we have introduced for consultants and GPs represent a historic opportunity to bring greater quality to the heart of all the care that the NHS provides. UNISON members have endorsed the right deal for patients."

The final decision to proceed with Agenda for Change will be taken by all of the trade unions collectively. Agenda for Change is due to be rolled out from 1 December 2004.

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