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Press release: NHS Employers welcomes Unison Agenda for Change ballot result

09 Nov 2004

NHS Employers has welcomed the announcement today of Unison's ballot result on Agenda for Change, in which 75.5% of members voted to proceed with implementation.

Deputy director of NHS Employers, the new employers' organisation for the NHS, Alastair Henderson said the convincing yes vote was a sign of staff confidence in the agreement reached between employers, government and trade unions and was very good news for the NHS as an employer.
 
'Implementation of Agenda for Change for more than one million staff across the NHS will benefit NHS employees, will support recruitment and retention and the development of new roles and opportunities and will help contribute to improvements in patient care,' said Mr Henderson.

'The Unison result is one of the final pieces in the jigsaw after years of detailed planning and negotiations and I would like to pay tribute to the commitment and hard work all parties have put into this process.  I look forward to the formal response from the staff side organisations.' 

NHS Employers will work closely with NHS organisations and staff from the Modernisation Agency - some of whom will transfer to NHS Employers - to support implementation. It will also take forward negotiations on the unsocial hours element of Agenda for Change.

Notes for editors

1. NHS Employers, the employers' organisation for the NHS in England, was launched on 1 November 2004.
2. Its remit includes national responsibility for conducting negotiations on NHS pay and conditions and providing NHS organisations with advice and support.
3. Agreement between the Department of Health and NHS unions on Agenda for Change was reached on November 2002.
4. For further information on NHS Employers or on Agenda for Change, please see our website.

Contact details

The press office provides a comprehensive service to keep journalists informed about the work of NHS Employers.

If you have a media enquiry, please contact the press office team:

• Emma Stafford
  0207 074 3307 or emma.stafford@nhsemployers.org

For out of hours media enquiries, please contact the duty press officer on 07880 500726.

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