Nurses’ demonstration will urge Government to ‘scrap the cap’

Nurses from across Tayside are to hold a demonstration in Dundee tomorrow as part of the campaign against the public sector pay cap.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing Tayside branch will gather in the city square between 9am and 2.30pm calling on the Scottish and UK governments to “scrap the cap”, which has seen public sector wages subjected to a 1% pay-rise cap.

Martin MacGregor, branch secretary for the Royal College of Nursing Tayside branch, said the protest would also be collecting items for the local foodbank and asked members to bring along dry food such as pasta and rice.

He said: “Our members are deeply concerned that poor pay is forcing nursing staff out of the NHS and too few nurses means patient care suffers.

“In real terms, nurses have had a pay cut of 14% in real terms since 2010.

“This devalues nurses and nursing.

“We will be asking for people from Dundee and wider Tayside communities to support our campaign by completing a postcard that we will provide to send to their MP urging them to put pressure on the UK Government to scrap the cap.

“Nurses and other public sector employees deserve better than this.”

He added: “Vacancies within NHS Tayside and across the NHS in Scotland and the UK are at an all-time high.

“We need to be able to attract a high quality, caring and resilient workforce, to provide the best care for our patients.

“The governments of the UK must work to lift the cap on public sector pay.”

The Dundee protest is part of a national campaign.