Anger at coalition’s ‘complete contempt’ for NHS staff

“This Coalition Government has taken a scalpel to the Pay Body’s report and won’t escape the anger of NHS staff.  It’s a disgrace that 70% of nurses and midwives will not even get a pay rise this year – what sort of message does this give to the value this Government places on dedicated NHS staff ?” said UNISON Head of Health, Christina McAnea today.
 
She went on to accuse the Government of “riding roughshod over the PRB.”
 
She said: “The Government has shown complete contempt for the NHS, contempt for staff and contempt for patients and will pay the price at the ballot box.”
 
Even a straight 1% increase would be nowhere near enough to meet the massive cost of living increases that NHS staff have had to cope with since 2010.  Staff are on average, 10% worse off than when the Coalition came to power.
 
Hitting out at the Government’s contemptible decision to deny any pay increase for 2 years to staff entitled to an increment, Christina McAnea said:
 
“Increments are designed to reflect the growing skills and experience of nurses and other healthcare workers and are closely linked to competency.  They are not a substitute for the annual pay rise that is needed to meet the increasing cost of living.
 
“If the Government is set on imposing this change, it clearly doesn’t understand how increments work.  As it stands, they save the NHS money but if this divisive plan goes ahead UNISON will be arguing strongly that staff should be paid the full rate for the job from day one.

“I am appalled that this Coalition Government can openly boast about the economic recovery and claimthat we are all feeling the benefits and then treat health workers so shoddily.”
 
The cost of the totally unnecessary reorganisation of the NHS in England is a massive £1.5bn and 10,000 jobs lost.
 
More than a third of NHS (non medical) staff are paid below £21,000.
 
The bottom 2 pay points (bands 1 and 2) are below the Living Wage.

More than  60% won’t get pay rise – 70% of nurses and midwives will not get a pay rise.

 

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