Submission on instructing NHS Employers to recognise Unite to sit on the doctors' and dentists'

joint negotiating committees to the Health & Social Care Commission of Labour’s National Policy
Forum

Instructing NHS Employers to recognise Unite to sit on the doctors' and dentists' joint negotiating
committees would answer in part the question “What measures can be put in place to ensure that
our NHS and social care systems are equipped with enough doctors, nurses and other healthcare
staff to deal with ever increasing demand?” asked in the Health & Social Care Commission’s
discussion paper.

Three trade unions represent hospital doctors in UK: the British Medical Association (BMA), the
Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) and Unite.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the BMA claims a “universal franchise” to have sole
bargaining rights for all hospital doctors.

In England the BMA is recognised by NHS Employers to sit on the doctors' and dentists' joint
negotiating committees and so has national bargaining rights for hospital doctors in England. The
HCSA has recently been recognised by NHS Employers to sit on the doctors' and dentists' joint
negotiating committees and so now also has national bargaining rights for hospital doctors in
England. Unite is recognised by NHS Employers to sit on the NHS Staff Committee, but not the
doctors' and dentists' joint negotiating committees and so does not have national bargaining rights
for hospital doctors in England. If Unite was recognised to sit on the doctors' and dentists' joint
negotiating committees then it would join the BMA and HCSA in having national bargaining rights
for hospital doctors in England.

I would like to submit a proposal to instruct NHS Employers to recognise Unite to sit on the
doctors' and dentists' joint negotiating committees.