Nurses hand petition of 67,000 names into No.10

The Royal College of Nursing has handed a petition of 67,000 names to Downing Street of people opposed to the public sector pay cap.

RCN members across the country led the “Summer of Protest” campaign, where thousands of nurses joined together to protest against the 1% pay cap.

The union says the cap has caused nursing pay to fall by 14% in realterms since 2010, leaving them £3,000 a year worse off and reducing staff to “breaking point”.

Janet Davies, RCN chief executive and general secretary, said: “Nurses from all corners of the UK have shown the government that they are a force to be reckoned with.

“Throughout the summer they campaigned tirelessly to end the cap which has cut their pay year on year. Our members in front of the famous door, and everybody across the UK, should be proud of their achievements.

“The government has listened to them and has categorically said they are scrapping the pay cap. This petition shows huge levels of public support for nurses, who work so hard to provide care for patients in the midst of a staffing crisis and increasing pressures in the NHS.

“Their next pay offer must not come in below inflation and ministers must not ask the NHS to make other cuts to pay for it.”

Frontline nursing staff presented the petition, including Royal College of Nursing in Wales Pay Champion Jean Richards, who campaigned during the summer helping organise events.

The petitions signatures were collected on 67,000 postcards which, if stacked end to end, would reach more than one and a half times the height of Everest.

The RCN said the campaign highlighted how low pay prevents attracting enough staff to provide “safe patient care”.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced in the House of Commons on October 10 that the pay cap will be scrapped, with the RCN now awaiting the next pay offer.

The petition was presented with a letter by Michael Brown, Chair of the RCN Council.

In the letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Brown said: “Since 2010, our members have experienced a real-terms pay cut of 14%.

“This has forced experienced staff out of the profession, those who stay are at breaking point and it is a struggle to recruit new nurses.

There are severe staff shortages across the UK, undermining staff morale and compromising patient safety.”

He added that the pay cap scrap was a “positive first step” but the next pay deal with nursing staff “must be above inflation”.

Public sector pay was frozen in 2010 for two years for all workers except those earning less than £21,000.

Meanwhile, public sector wages have dipped below those in the private sector for the first time since before the financial crisis, new Treasury figures reveal.

Data obtained by the GMB trade union shows workers in the public sector were paid on average 0.6% less than their private sector counterparts in similar positions.

This is the first time the records, stretching back to 2005, show public sector workers as being worse off.

In 2010 the Treasury estimated they were 5.8% better paid than those in comparable roles in the private sector.

Rehana Azam, GMB national secretary for public services, said: ““The average local government worker earns about £20,000, while teaching assistants are paid just £12,000, and all public sector workers have lost thousands due to a planned decade of real-terms pay cuts.

“It’s shameful that in one of the world’s richest nations some of our public sector heroes are forced to take on debt or use food banks to make ends meet.”