Commenting on reports today (Tuesday) that Conservative Party leadership contender Liz Truss has backed down on plans to cut the pay of public servants across the UK, UNISON deputy head of health Helga Pile said:
“The NHS is in the depths of the biggest staffing crisis it’s ever faced. Last month’s below-inflation pay award isn’t enough to stop experienced health workers from leaving a service that’s on the edge. This ridiculous policy would have spelt total disaster.
“Rather than make ill thought-out promises to appeal to Conservative party members, candidates should be thinking about what’s best for the country, the NHS and its patients.
“Cutting the wages of nurses, porters, paramedics and healthcare assistants in parts of the UK would have been the stuff of nightmares. Staff would simply have left for other hospitals paying better wages, or gone to work in other sectors, creating yet more chaos for struggling services.
“This sorry episode only serves to deepen the despair of staff battling to care for patients in horrendous conditions. That those vying to be PM were even thinking about slashing pay will be a huge blow to morale.
“The problems facing the health service need tackling from a national perspective. The starting point must be a reset on wages to an award that cushions staff against rising prices and helps the NHS boost its workforce so it can deliver for the millions awaiting treatment.”
Notes to editors:
-UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
