To think that if NHS staff get a 1% pay rise that is nothing but an insult?

[Bluetoybox]

Given the joke of a pay rise given over the last 3 years, well below inflation in real terms anyway but where the Government also out and out lied by failing to mention that you'd drop an increment step to get your pay rise and now this after all the NHS have done in the last year!!! A decade capped at 1% before the 3 year review and now they want to send us right back to 1%
Absolutely disgusted!

The public sector should just start implementing work-to-rule across all their sectors once the pandemic is over. That is, they should simply work the exactly the hours they are paid for - nothing more, nothing less. It’s the only way the government and the voters are going to get a sharp, shocking realisation of how dire the situation is. If the government and the public want you to work for free, they should pay for it. You can’t put food on the table with “claps”.

I think the reason that the government have got away with it for so long is because of the work ethic and empathy of the types of people who are attracted to jobs such as healthcare, teaching, social work/care or law and order. They normally want to make a difference. These patients that you’re going above and beyond for by working 14 hour shifts or unpaid overtime for in appalling conditions aren’t voting for policies to help you. The parents of the kids you teach who you’re spending your unpaid holiday hours lesson planning and marking for aren’t voting for policies to help you.

There’s no way there would be this scale of acceptance of poor working conditions, low pay, resource underfunding or consistent unpaid significant overtime in the private sector for the equivalent job role. People in the private sector put up with (some) but generally less bullshit. I think they are a lot better at knowing their worth.

[quote Racoonworld]@Ermidunno so are many, many people in the private sector though. Lots haven’t had pay rises at all in the last 10 years, others below inflation rises. And no job security, pensions cut, less holiday, statutory mat pay and sick pay. A 1% rise would be celebrated by lots of people at the moment. Now is not the time to be asking for more.[/quote]
When is the right time then? Under conservative governments we have perpetual austerity. When the private sector booms we don’t see pay rises either. 40,000 nurse posts are vacant. People get out as soon as they can. The drop out rate during training is awful.

@Morgoth

The public sector should just start implementing work-to-rule across all their sectors once the pandemic is over. That is, they should simply work the exactly the hours they are paid for - nothing more, nothing less. It’s the only way the government and the voters are going to get a sharp, shocking realisation of how dire the situation is. If the government and the public want you to work for free, they should pay for it. You can’t put food on the table with “claps”.

I think the reason that the government have got away with it for so long is because of the work ethic and empathy of the types of people who are attracted to jobs such as healthcare, teaching, social work/care or law and order. They normally want to make a difference. These patients that you’re going above and beyond for by working 14 hour shifts or unpaid overtime for in appalling conditions aren’t voting for policies to help you. The parents of the kids you teach who you’re spending your unpaid holiday hours lesson planning and marking for aren’t voting for policies to help you.

There’s no way there would be this scale of acceptance of poor working conditions, low pay, resource underfunding or consistent unpaid significant overtime in the private sector for the equivalent job role. People in the private sector put up with (some) but generally less bullshit. I think they are a lot better at knowing their worth.

I absolutely, wholeheartedly, agree.

I do wish people would stop saying nurses had a 12% increase in 3 years.
The vast majority did not and earn less now than 10 years ago (due to increased pension contributions).
That twit Matt H fed that lie in the press conference tonight.

@Racoonworld

I do believe those NHS staff working in front line covid wards should get a decent one off bonus this year though. Those people absolutely deserve a reward.

I do agree with the idea of this bonus to thank front line Covid ward HCP's. I also think that NHS staff shouldn't have to pay for parking at hospitals for work - if that still happens, I think that should be removed.

It’s difficult though as as much as it’s been hugely difficult (and I haven’t experienced it) all the measures implemented to try to help actively cost people’s jobs and livelihoods.

It’s a bad time for so many.

Many a bonus would have gone down better.

Completely agree with Morgoth.
People vote for low taxes, but expect a high quality service. That’s delivered by staff working way beyond their contracted hours, and relies on their continued goodwill

Totally unsurprising. They are provoking strike action to gain further ability to privatise. It should also tell us that this government is just going to give us another decade of austerity to damage normal people's prosperity as much as possible.

There are plenty of thick selfish bastards who will support them in doing it. Retirees who have no concept about macroeconomics or inflation, the time value of money or house price to salary ratios. People who seem to think that the fact that nurses salaries seem big compared to their salaries in the 70s and 80s means they are overpaid. That the lower interest rates now mean that having a mortgage is cheaper than it was when they were young.

Utterly fed up of the lot of them.

@Sloth66

Completely agree with Morgoth. People vote for low taxes, but expect a high quality service. That’s delivered by staff working way beyond their contracted hours, and relies on their continued goodwill

Exactly. In fact the country and government should be a lot more frightened if workers in the public sector start working the exact hours they are paid for and no more. It would cause 10000x the impact a strike would.

And the beautiful thing about work to rule is that it’s very hard to argue against. How can the public demand that doctors and nurses or teachers or social workers work more hours than they are paid for? That’s against the law. They’d have no leg to stand on.

Only 3 yrs ago (?) Tories were cheering when they blocked a pay rise for nurses in a vote

I also think that NHS staff shouldn't have to pay for parking at hospitals for work - if that still happens, I think that should be removed

What about the many NHS staff who travel to work by bus - should they get a subsidy too?
Providing car parking is expensive, and patient services would have to be reduced if parking were free

It's an insult, as is the pay freeze (which is of course a cut) for other public sector. Not a surprise at all, but still insulting.

I'm public sector. I really don't think most people realise what is happening. 60-80 hour weeks have become the norm. No overtime, no pay rise, no thanks. We are burnt out.

I fear that it's only a matter of time before the public sector falls apart as a result and then, unfortunately, we will all suffer when we get the public service this government deserves.

Providing car parking is expensive, and patient services would have to be reduced if parking were free

No they wouldn’t. Most hospital car parks are run by outside agencies such as NCP.

No they wouldn’t. Most hospital car parks are run by outside agencies such as NCP

Do you really think that NCP would let nurses park free of charge?

@CastleCrasher

It's an insult, as is the pay freeze (which is of course a cut) for other public sector. Not a surprise at all, but still insulting.

I'm public sector. I really don't think most people realise what is happening. 60-80 hour weeks have become the norm. No overtime, no pay rise, no thanks. We are burnt out.

I fear that it's only a matter of time before the public sector falls apart as a result and then, unfortunately, we will all suffer when we get the public service this government deserves.

It’s going to teach a critical mass soon as soon as enough people across the public sector get angry enough and have enough stomach for the fight. The public sector won’t get the funding and pay rises it deserves regardless of whether the private sector is sinking or booming. Just accept it will never come. There will always be an excuse.

Take matters in your own hands and start altering scale back your own working conditions and hours so it matches your contract so you can have a reasonable work/life balance once again. If the public want a better service, make them pay for it. You’re being taken for a mug.

And I agree with the PP who said we all as a country bailed out the private sector when the banks went under and thousands of private companies were hanging by a thread. Not to mention saving people’s mortgages. Now the public sector needs help. Maybe it could be reciprocated? Of course it won’t be.

How much do we think a full-time nurse a year should earn

Completely insulting. I've worked 50+ hour weeks minimum throughout. Yes I feel very lucky to have been working and have a job. But it's so draining and I have 3/4 of my annual leave to carry over as I've had so few days off.
Same goes for all frontline workers I'm sure, whatever they do. It's a sham.

I would pay lord tax abd I would expect everyone else to as well but they don’t. You get what you pay for.

@CastleCrasher - just wanted to add all my “yous” in my reply were general - not directed to you personally! I didn’t proofread it very well. 100% agree with everything you say. I too am in the same position as you working obscenely long work weeks (only 2/3 of which is paid). I’m at breaking point. I think we need to drastically take some action one way or another.

@Morgoth

And I agree with the PP who said we all as a country bailed out the private sector when the banks went under and thousands of private companies were hanging by a thread. Not to mention saving people’s mortgages. Now the public sector needs help. Maybe it could be reciprocated? Of course it won’t be.

The private sector is in dire straits too

Furlough is masking a lot of potential redundancies but there’s no way many businesses are not in trouble

Time to work to rule.

The public sector is constantly over looked even in times of prosperity. If people don’t value public services it will soon be gone.

To be honest, I'm not sure.

I'm NHS. I've been working hard throughout the pandemic. I've lost collegues, colleagues have suffered with stress, trauma and burnout, as a result of my job my whole family caught covid. I was hoping for more than 1%

That said, I think if we'd been offered more I'd feel really guilty. I still have a job, a good pension, a guaranteed job for life, my children have been attending school during lockdown and they even had key worker places at holiday club in half term.

Some of my friends have lost jobs during covid, pay is falling, debts are mounting. Even though my colleagues have suffered stress and burnout, friends not in the NHS have too. Everyone has suffered. Many people have lost family and friends.

As much as obviously I'd like a pay rise, I think it wouldn't feel right.to me

@rwalker

How much do we think a full-time nurse a year should earn

What does an IT professional earn? who looks after a data center or a local network. If he she/he messes up, people can't log into their banking app... or emails stop working.

What happens when a nurse screws up?

Thats your answer, the whole economy and how we value certain sectors/workers is perverse.

So once experienced, i think 40k is reasonable, 50k if in London.

@Pomegranatespompom

Time to work to rule.

The public sector is constantly over looked even in times of prosperity. If people don’t value public services it will soon be gone.

Won't work, who is going to stop treating a patient at 17:00 ?

No, they need to strike.