1% Pay rise could cause Nurses to go on strike in England
Author: Sarah Akomanyi | Saturday 6th March 2021
Instead of a 1% pay rise for Nurses, The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), they have argued that members should receive 12.5%.
From the government, It is said that the 1% pay rise is "what's affordable" at the moment when it comes to public finances. It is not only nurses who have a concern with their salary. Teachers, The Armed forces, Firefighters, and Police Officers are said to be affected too, as Chancellor Rishi Sunak imposes a pay freeze on at least 1.3 million public sector workers.
The Department of Health says that the 1% pay rise could cover nearly all hospital staff, but that does not include GPs and Dentists.
Here's what NHS workers earn in England-
- The lowest minimum full-time salary - for newly employed drivers, housekeeping assistants, nursery assistants, and domestic support workers - is £18,005 per year.
- The starting salary for most newly qualified nurses is £24,907. Staff in "high-cost areas", such as London, get extra payments.
Emily Huntingford, an intensive care nurse at a London hospital, said she had been "completely shocked" when she heard about the 1% pay rise.
"The first thing that came into my mind was that this is insulting," she added. "It shows a complete disregard for the work NHS workers have done this year.
The labour party thinks that the government's proposal for the NHS "now lies in tatters."
"Boris Johnson is cutting nurses' pay," said shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth, who - in contrast to ministers - called the 1% rise a "real-terms pay cut".
The Scottish government has announced that 2021-22 pay negotiations will be delayed until the summer because of the disruption caused by Covid. The staff has been given an "interim" pay rise of 1%, which will form part of the new settlement.
NHS workers in Northern Ireland were promised a one-off £500 "special recognition" payment in January, following a similar announcement in Scotland.
The Welsh government has said it will not set a "ceiling" of 1% on NHS pay rises for 2021-22.
