‘Christmas cancelled’ for nurses – union boss
CHRISTMAS will be “cancelled” for hundreds of desperate nurses across the region this year because they have barely got enough money to put food on the table and pay their bills, a union boss claims.
Olga Leach-Walters, a nurse at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, says she is aware of nurses who are “living in their cars”, while food bank use is said to be widespread among the NHS workforce.
It comes as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to strike for two days this month in their biggest walkout in the NHS’s history.
The Royal College of Nursing has announced strikes for December 15 and 20 over its pay dispute with the Government.
Ms Leach-Walters, who is also a Royal College of Nursing union branch chair, says many nurses are struggling to get by at the moment, meaning Christmas will have to be an afterthought as they prioritise feeding their kids.
“There are nurses living in their cars, nurses who can’t pay their rent, living off credit cards,” she told the Post.
“Most nurses will have to cancel Christmas this year.
“Maybe because they are having to put food on the table, they can’t pay for presents anymore. I know some girls at work who look forward to Christmas and getting their kids things, but they just can’t afford it. “Many are using the money that would pay for their kids’ presents for energy bills – it’s taking up everything. They have to get their priorities right, which is putting food on the table for their children. Going to the food bank is the reality. I have had to go over there for colleagues.”
While the Government has announced various cost-of-living support measures targeting the most vulnerable, Ms Leach-Walters stressed that low-earning nurses needed more help.
She said: “We are already living from food banks. We can’t heat our homes or feed our kids.”