Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
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Key workers and pensioners may face two-year pay freeze Budget deficit of £337bn and worst recession since 1709
AFTER weeks of being praised for their bravery and sacrifice in the coronavirus fight, NHS staff now find their reward could be a devastating assault on their pay.
Treasury documents reveal the Government is considering a public sector wage freeze for two years as Britain dives into the worst recession for 300 years due to the pandemic.
Furious unions accused ministers of hypocrisy and betrayal after Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak joined the weekly applause for key workers risking their lives to keep people safe and the country running.
It comes after the PM had vowed austerity would not be used to recover from the economic nightmare.
But the economy shrank by 2% in the first quarter of this year and Mr Sunak warned the pandemic could trigger a £337billion Budget deficit
The economy: 2006 – 2020
would be morally bankrupt and would be a deep and damaging betrayal.”
SNP Treasury spokeswoman Alison Thewliss MP added: “It would be utter hypocrisy to applaud our health and social care staff during this crisis then freeze their pay afterwards.”
Royal College of Nursing general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said: “This proposal is the exact opposite of what’s expected and deserved and, if pursued, will outrage professionals and public alike. We will make sure no government forgets the professionalism demonstrated by nursing staff during this pandemic and before it.”
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis added: “It’s appalling the Government is even contemplating freezing public sector pay.
“The public will be horrified by these cheap tactics. NHS, care, council, police and
A LONG recession after the crisis could lead to a “significant number of deaths” as more people are thrown into poverty, the UK’S statistics chief has warned.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond, who heads up the Office for National Statistics, said the UK was seeing a reduction in coronavirus deaths, but “not as quickly as we might have liked”.
He warned the full indirect effects school staff have kept services running, saving lives, caring for the vulnerable and ensuring communities are safe. Public service workers deserve proper recognition for these efforts.
“Anything less would be a slap in the face to those we applaud each week.” Prospect union general secretary Mike Clancy said: “Responding to this may not be known for years due to cancelled cancer screenings or a prolonged recession.
He told a Commons committee: “If – and I stress if – we end up with an L-shaped recession, rather than a V shape where we come out quite quickly, an L shape over a long period of time could lead to a significant number of deaths as a result of people being
MASKED Bus driver in Birmingham economic shock with more austerity and public pay cuts would be like throwing water on a chip pan fire.”
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack added: “The Government is talking about dishing out medals to key workers in one breath whilst planning pay cuts for them in another.”
Labour confirmed it would not back a public sector pay freeze.
Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds said: “The proposals would be
pushed into poverty or long-term unemployment.”
The Office for National Statistics figures have estimated the death toll at a consistently higher figure than the daily number released by No10.
Data published on Tuesday found that the number of deaths in England and Wales has exceeded normal levels by nearly 47,000 during the pandemic.