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HEALTH service workers have demanded an end to “the gruelling salary squeeze” ahead of today’s spring Budget, saying that staff have lost thousands of pounds each since 2010.
NHS pay has fallen by a staggering 14 per cent in real terms over the past seven years, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
This is because of the government’s below-inflation 1 per cent public-sector pay cap. Health unions warned the government that NHS staff are leaving in their droves as they feel undervalued.
The demand for higher wages coincided with the release yesterday of the NHS Employers group’s survey of last year, which revealed that nearly two-thirds of health service staff do unpaid overtime every week.
The report also found that a shocking 60 per cent of NHS staff go to work despite not feeling well enough to do their duties, with 38 per cent of the 423,000 NHS staff who responded to the survey unhappy with their pay.
Royal College of Midwives spokesman Jon Skewes said: “England currently remains short of 3,500 midwives so cannot afford to have midwives leave the service because they are not valued.
“The NHS is running on the goodwill of staff and faces critical staffing shortages across many professional groups, including midwives. This cannot continue — NHS staff must be given a fair pay rise.”
And Royal College of Nursing activist Danielle Tiplady issued a stark warning to the government. She told the Star: “They must recognise and value their NHS staff in the Budget by scrapping the 1 per cent cap on our pay.
Ms Tiplady explained that the effect of the wage restraint means nurses are struggling to get by, “resulting in them accessing foodbanks and pay-day loans.
“If we are not respected by the government, I believe our unions should ballot for industrial action,” she added.
Public-sector workers face an average £4,000 pay cut by 2020, separate research published by general union GMB today shows.
GMB national officer Rehana Azam warned: “The gruelling salary squeeze Theresa May is presiding over is even more severe than under Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
“It’s high time for public-sector workers to be paid their dues. This decade-long pay pinch needs to end.”
