MP backs nurses in pay protest
NORTH Wales nurses travelled to London to protest against the 1% cap on public sector pay outside the Houses of Parliament.
Delegates from the Royal College of Nursing joined student nurses, health care support workers and members of the public in the 90-minute rally in Parliament Square.
The rally was organised as part of the RCN’s Scrap the Cap campaign, which called on the Government to remove the 1% cap on NHS pay.
Shortly after the rally, the Government announced that the pay cap was to be lifted but, although pay settlements for police and prison officers have already been announced, nurses are still in the dark.
Pay has been cited as one of the reasons why nurses have been leaving their profession in droves, with the cost of living having risen by 22% since 2010 but public sector pay having on average only risen by 4.4%.
A recent survey of NHS workers revealed that 73% had to ask family and friends for financial support, and hundreds of respondents said they had used a food bank.
The nurses were joined at the rally by Ynys Môn MP Albert Owen, who said: “I fully support the Royal College of Nursing and UNISON in their campaigns.
“This Government has chosen to continue these needless austerity measures, and our public service workers are the ones paying a heavy price.
“These workers deserve a rise and they deserve it right now.”