About Us
Welcome to the website of the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) Branch of UNISON. UNISON is by far the biggest union in NWAS and is the United Kingdom’s largest union with more than 1.4 million members.
This site has been created to give you, our members as much information as possible and to allow for better communication between members and their representatives of which we have more than any other union.
All of your representatives work for NWAS and they do same job as you so anything that affects you also affects them in exactly the same way. All of our stewards are ERA accredited so you can be confident that they know what they are doing, and they have to renew this accreditation every 5 years.
We are proud to represent over 4,500 members that includes frontline ambulance staff including the Patient Transport Service, Emergency Operations Centres and 111, Workshop Staff and Corporate members.
Our continuing growth each year is a clear demonstration of the service that we provide to our members and we continually strive to improve on this day by day. If you have any ideas to improve our site, please contact us and let us know.
Contact Us
You can view the contact details for all our stewards on this website and on noticeboards or the new electronic wall boards on stations.
If you would like to advise the branch of a change in your details, you can do so here.
If you would like to contact the branch regarding anything else, you can do so here.
Briefings
To see our latest NWAS UNISON member briefings please click here.
Please click here to view our Branch Secretary's Blog
Message from Helga Pile about 2025 Pay
The government says it has set aside 2.8% for NHS pay rises next year. We are working to find out what exactly this might mean, but we do know this is not a final outcome; rather the government is stating what it is budgeting for the Pay Review Body’s recommendation. That is a figure barely above inflation, but the government has announced something else today which will dash expectations it raised over the summer. As part of the pay outcome for 2024, the government had promised to enter negotiations with trade unions and employers to begin fixing serious problems with the pay structure. But now it is asking the Pay Review Body to first make a recommendation on how much of the pay budget should be allocated to these essential repairs. This will delay the start of the talks and ultimately divert funds away from headline pay increases for 2025 that all NHS staff will need to keep up with the cost of living. What’s more, the Pay Review Body has neither the remit nor the expertise to deal with these issues effectively. It’s simply not equipped to deal with under-banding, lack of reward for progression and the lowest-paid repeatedly dipping below the legal minimum wage. We have clearly set out the risks of failing to address structural problems through negotiation, and so it is disappointing to see the government delay these again and fail to fund them properly. But it is not too late for a change of course. Fixes to banding and progression need proper investment. And they need unions and employers in the room discussing them – not a distant Pay Review Body that would report too late. We are seeking urgent clarification on what all this means – including how the minimum wage rise on 1 April will be dealt with in the NHS. Your elected committee will meet soon to decide on next steps and I will be in touch early in the new year to update you on how you can use your voice in UNISON to challenge this decision.
Winner of our Monthly Prize Draw for £50.00
November 2024 Harry Reed
December 2024 Moya Davidson
January 2025 Gregory Hall
