Cough up, Boris
Nurses’ anger at pay rise betrayal
LONDON
THOUSANDS of NHS nurses and workers staged protests for more pay yesterday after being cruelly betrayed by the Government.
The staff were furious to be left out of a list of 900,000 public sector employees given wage rises last month.
The snub came despite No10 promising to reward the NHS for its sacrifices during the coronavirus crisis.
Outraged staff gathered in 19 cities and towns to demand they be given a 15 per cent pay rise by December.
They held banners with slogans like “NHS hero but my purse says zero” and “Clapping won’t pay my rent”.
Many MPs backed their calls as the Sunday Mirror joined demos to hear tales of staff left thousands of pounds in debt and forced to rely on food banks. At least 540 health and social care staff died of Covid- 19 after battling to halt it. Dave Carr, an ITU nurse who helped organise protests, said workers driven to the brink in the past five months had been “shafted”.
Speaking in Parliament Square in London he fumed: “We are traumatised and terrified of a second spike but deemed undeserving of a pay rise.”
The NHS is short of 43,000 nurses and a poll found a third of existing ones are considering quitting.
Boris Johnson’s refusal to boost pay comes after he thanked nurses Jenny McGee and Luis Pitarma for helping to save his life when he was hospitalised with Covid-19 in April.
In Birmingham, ICU nurse Rachel Halley, 25, said she suffers panic attacks after battling Covid-19, yet her £26,000 pay is less than some supermarket staff.
She said: “I’ve got friends who are really struggling yet they’re having to put their lives on the line.”
Protesters in locations including Edinburgh, Manchester, London and Cardiff fell silent at 11.58am in memory of colleagues who have died.
Last month Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced rises for workers including senior doctors, police and teachers.
But nurses and junior doctors were not included because they agreed a separate three-year deal in 2018.
Ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “It’s time to pay them properly.”
York MP Rachael Maskell said: “The Government have fallen short again.”
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