NHS told to Pay Up Now
Health workers in Wishaw were amongst those to take part in a nationwide demonstrations calling for the Scottish Government to reopen talks around pay.
NHS Lanarkshire staff joined a socially-distanced demonstration outside the Houldsworth Centre in the town’s Kenilworth Avenue.
It was part of the Pay Up Now campaign, and one of a number across the country organised by Unison.
The trade union is calling for pay talks to be reopened between the government and NHS staff in Scotland.
Wishaw independent councillor Angela Feeney, herself an NHS worker, was among the demonstrators.
She said: “I was proud to stand with fellow NHS Lanarkshire staff outside The Houldsworth Centre in Wishaw. As an NHS worker I have seen first-hand the hard work and dedication NHS staff have been doing during the Covid crisis.
“I would urge all NHS staff to join a union. Many had to step into unfamiliar roles and take on extra duties.
“The NHS staff were there for us, now we have to be there for them as they call on a fair pay deal.”
The Royal College of Nursing union has also launched a UK-wide “Fair Pay for Nursing” campaign as it attempts to secure a 12.5 per cent pay rise for nurses.
Unison is campaigning for a pay rise for all NHS staff and calling for the NHS three-year pay deal to be reopened.
Unison claims that NHS staff have suffered real-term pay cuts over the last decade, and incurred extra costs for childcare and transport during the coronavirus pandemic due to working extra shifts when public transport has been restricted. Many have been forced to isolate from family members, buy PPE, and been hit with additional laundry costs.
Tam Waterson, chair of Unison’s health committee, said: “The demonstrations show the strength of feeling among NHS workers.”