Pay incentive

OVERDUE pay increases are hugely welcome but a below-inflation 6.5% increase over three years for NHS workers would still see a fall in living standards.

When the Retail Price Index, which includes rents, council tax and mortgage repayments, is forecast to rise more than 9% over the same period this deal isn’t as good as it first appears.

That said, staff unrest and trade union pressure, allied to a public and political backlash, have smashed through the unfair 1% wage cap.

We hope other workers will follow. Grafters shouldn’t pick up the bill for greedy bankers responsible for the financial crash or the growth-destroying madness of Tory austerity.