NHS staff will stage demonstrations nationwide on Saturday to call for fair pay amid concerns over a second wave of Covid-19.

More than 20 socially distanced protests will take place organised by the NHS Workers Say No to Public Sector Pay Inequality group and backed by supporters of Keep Our NHS Public (KONP).

The protests are calling on the government to recognise the contribution that NHS staff have made during the coronavirus pandemic by awarding a 15 per cent pay rise, and say that a decade of wage freezes has left health workers with a real-terms pay cut of 20 per cent.

Nurse Holly Turner said: “National days of action are so important to raise awareness of our movement.

“There are over 100,000 vacancies in the NHS and workers are struggling to do their jobs safely whilst dealing with both high-risk working conditions and chronic understaffing. 

“We are calling on the public to get behind us in supporting NHS workers, and the NHS as a whole.”

Psychotherapist and chair of NHS Staff Voices Alia Butt said NHS staff were demanding a pay increase in response to the “disingenuous public-sector pay rise boasted by the government.”

“The pay rise excluded most front-line staff, including nurses who have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic, and in the many years preceding it, despite the cuts to their pay and training fees,” Ms Butt said.

“As we approach a second wave of Covid-19, there must be action to rectify these inequalities and injustices. 

“We once again take to the streets to demand we are properly paid.”