84% of people would scrap Tories’ public sector pay cap
MORE than four out of five people support lifting the Government’s salary cap on NHS staff, a poll has found.
There is overwhelming public opposition to the below-inflation 1% limit on wage rises, according to a survey of 2,000 people by ComRes, commissioned by NHS unions.
It found 84% want to scrap the cap and 83% are in favour of increasing health workers’ pay at least to the level of inflation, currently 2.9%. And nearly 70% of the public support NHS unions’ call for a 3.9% pay rise, plus an additional £800 to restore some of the wages lost over the past seven years. Chris Cox, of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “This makes it clear how much ministers are out of touch with public opinion. Experienced nursing staff are leaving because they can’t afford to stay.”