THREE-QUARTERS of the NHS staff facing a government-imposed pay cut are women, Labour research published last night shows.

And on the eve of International Women’s Day, Labour’s shadow women & equalities secretary Marsha de Cordova delivered a stinging attack on a government “that has consistently failed women.”

As callous ministers doubled down on their “recommendation” of a sub-inflation 1 per cent pay rise for 1.3 million NHS workers, Ms de Cordova said the move risked “further entrenching inequalities long into the future.”

She said: “Once again the Chancellor has chosen to turn his back on women who have experienced the worst economic and social impacts of the pandemic.

“To give women on the NHS front lines a pay cut is just another example of how badly Boris Johnson’s government have consistently failed women.”

Labour says that women are more likely to work in low-paid or shut-down sectors, more likely to have taken on extra caring responsibilities and less likely to be entitled to sick pay — yet the government has failed to assess the impact its NHS pay cut would have on women.

“The government must guarantee NHS workers a real pay rise, conduct an equality-impact assessment and immediately restart gender pay-gap reporting,” Ms de Cordova said. 

Ministers have continued to peddle the fantasy line that NHS staff have benefited from generous pay rises despite the increasingly angry response of NHS workers pointing out that 10 years of Tory government have inflicted real-terms pay cuts of up to 19 per cent.

In a direct rebuke to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who spoke today of his “overwhelming” gratitude to “heroic” health workers, Royal College of Nurses (RCN) leader Dame Donna Kinnair said: “More of these warm words for nurses are not going to cut it.

“When there are already tens of thousands of unfilled nurse jobs in the NHS, he’s pushing more to the door this weekend.

“The Prime Minister must put his money where his mouth is. NHS staff are worth it, and there is overwhelming public support. His government can show it is listening and drop this plan.”

Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said today that the NHS was already facing a recruitment and retention crisis, and that a 1 per cent “insult” would have “a poisonous sting in the tail,” provoking a mass exodus of dedicated staff.

She said: “NHS staff are exhausted after a year of tireless caring for patients during the pandemic — and many are now prepared to leave the health service after a decade of pay austerity which has seen pay packets for many shrink by 19 per cent in real terms.

 “The British public needs to speak up now for the NHS and additional investment in services and funding for a significant pay rise.”

Unite has already indicated that it is prepared to ballot its 100,000 NHS members for industrial action, and over the weekend said it would liaise with other unions on possible action. The RCN has already set up a £35 million strike fund.

Unison’s head of health Sarah Gorton said: “The Prime Minister, of all people, should appreciate the skill and dedication of NHS staff.

“The overwhelming majority of staff working in the NHS are women — the people who’ve been working tirelessly to care for us during the pandemic and who expected a decent pay rise to recognise their efforts and boost morale.  

“International Women’s Day would be the perfect opportunity for ministers to swiftly admit they’ve got this wrong and think again about their paltry pay offer.

“Everyone should take to their doorsteps and balconies on Thursday for a slow hand-clap to show ministers exactly what the country thinks of their shabby treatment of NHS staff.”

The issue is set to come to a head later in the spring, with the NHS pay-review body expected to report in May.