Richard Evans, the SoR's chief executive officer, joined a queue of delegates who condemned the public sector pay cap at the TUC conference in Brighton this month.
Speaking in support of a composite motion, Richard and others said that removing the pay cap will not be sufficient - there have to be substantial increases to pay to make up the amount that radiographers and other public sector workers have lost since the cap was imposed in 2010.
Richard spoke of the damage that has been done to morale in the NHS and the affect this was having on patient care as recruitment and retention of staff was an increasingly serious issue.
An Office for Manpower Statistics report says that radiographers have “experienced a big decline in median real gross hourly earnings.”
The Society's own financial wellbeing survey shows that the annual pay cap is causing real hardship for some practitioners. There has been a 50% increase in the number of members applying to foodbanks.
The Society is urging members to write to their MP and ask them to lobby the government so that:
- UK pay rates for members in Northern Ireland catch up with colleagues elsewhere.
- Pay increases at least in line with inflation, with an additional payment that begins to make up what members have lost during the years of austerity
"It’s imperative members write to their MP," Richard said.
Members are also asked to take part in the TUC's Rally and Lobby of Parliamenton Tuesday, 17 October.
See the SoR at this year's TUC video.