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TUC Young Workers’ Conference Young workers forced to pay for NHS deficit

FUNDING gaps in health and social care are leaving dedicated young workers having to pay for resources from their own pockets, dieticians warned yesterday.

A high percentage are forced to pay for stationery, equipment and other resources in order to do their jobs effectively, dieticians’ union the BDA told the TUC Young Workers’ Conference.

The union’s Katherine Igidbashian told the conference they were “profoundly concerned” that a significant number of their members were making up for the cash deficits in the health service.

Ms Igidbashain said she has also witnessed patients who have become malnourished and lost weight because of Tory austerity.

“The BDA will fight to ensure that financial responsibility will not fall on young workers,” she said.

“Young workers across the public sector and in education face a similar situation. We believe that unionised workers have a significant role to play in this campaign.”

The union also raised concerns that young NHS workers, who are starting their careers, are facing “immense” difficulties in securing funding and time off to undertake essential professional development training, leaving them to self-fund.

This can amount to hundreds of pounds per year for course fees, text books, accommodation and travel along with the loss of annual leave and rest days, the BDA said.

The conference condemned the practice of workers paying to do their jobs as an “assault on the living standards of young workers” and the “dignity of public service users.”

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