| (23/4/12) "In the NHS, we're all frontline," service group chair Roz Norman declared this morning as she opened UNISON's health conference in Brighton. Moving the service group executive's annual report, she noted that, when conference met last year in Liverpool, it was to the news that the government had 'paused' it's controversial Health and Social Care Bill. Now that bill is law. "We may not have won ... yet," she told delegates, noting that the "yet" was deliberate because the battle is not yet over. "The NHS is 64 this year – we need to keep it." This year, conference is meeting as members outside Scotland are taking part in a ballot on NHS pension proposals. "If there is a clear rejection in that ballot – and UNISON is a membership-led union," she added. "We need to take serious and sustained industrial action. Rejecting it and doing nothing is not an option." And she reminded members that the ballot closes on Friday – "if you've not voted yet, make sure you do, either by post or online." Ms Norman also praised Scottish members taking part in continuing industrial action to get Scottish ministers round the negotiating table. A new threat facing the union, she warned, is that of regional pay, which is coming from a government that is one of the most divisive ever. "The war of words has started," she noted, "and when the battle comes, we will be ready." UNISON in healthcare Pensions campaign Pensions ballot FAQs |