two unions representing tens of
thousands of health care workers a
warning of possible strike action
after the government suggested a one
percent pay rise for most nhs workers in
england
it has been branded an insult and
hypocrisy in its greatest form by
healthcare workers
but the government insists one percent
is all it can afford at a difficult time
for public finances
around a million other public sector
staff including teachers the armed
forces
firefighters and police officers are
about to have their pay frozen for a
year
from westminster our deputy political
editor vicky young sent this report
the kovid pandemic's taking its toll on
nhs staff
definitely undervalued is i think what a
lot of people are feeling now
the government's suggesting a one
percent pay rise really sad
yeah just very disappointed alice and
ella just
two of the many nurses dismayed at
today's news
and it's raising awkward questions for
ministers health
secretary you stood at that podium in
may last year and said that nursing
deserved
fair reward is a one percent rise
fair elsewhere in the public sector
there's a
pay freeze in place and we've proposed
what we think is affordable uh
to make sure that in the nhs people do
get
a pay rise i bow to nobody in my
admiration
for nurses in fact i
learned that at the knee of my
grandmother who was a nurse
the independent pay review body will
look at a range of nhs workers pay
including nurses
their starting salary is almost twenty
five thousand pounds
the government says newly qualified
nurses have had a twelve percent rise
over the last three years
the royal college of nursing says a
nurse with average experience
will be earning over thirty thousand
pounds i think just a deep sense of
worry
really but for holly it's the future
that worries her
the nhs won't return to normal for a
long time
we're demoralized we're exhausted
we're fed up and now i think people are
actually quite angry and deeply deeply
worried for our patients
we know that waiting lists are
incredibly high at the moment
and there's a big concern of how we're
going to manage things when one in three
nursing staff want to quit
nhs scotland has given staff an interim
pay increase of one percent
backdated to december ahead of full pay
negotiations soon
as in wales staff also received a 500
pound bonus
but in england one nursing union has set
up a strike fund
in case they decide on industrial action
this was some of the reaction in
birmingham over the payroll
i think at this time we really need to
be supporting the nhs and the nurses in
particular who've done an absolutely
amazing job
they've had a bad experience and they
deserve a lot more than that
in terms of strike action i can see why
they want to do it it's probably not
the best time to do it i don't think
they'd carry much favor with the public
economics in this country but as bad as
they've ever been
so overall it's better than nothing
they deserve something which so it's an
offer which i feel should be accepted
without the threat
of a union strike others have also
worked through this pandemic but most
public sector workers will have their
pay frozen
the labour leader says they all deserve
a rise the freeze on public sector pay
is wrong we've challenged the government
on it
i challenged them in the budget response
on it and we'll continue to challenge
them on it
so you want pay rise for everyone you
don't want any tax rises
is that financially responsible we have
to have a plan
for the future to rebuild the
foundations of our country
you don't do that by freezing the pay of
those on the front line
throughout this pandemic public sector
workforce
the nhs response to this pandemic
prompted an outpouring of gratitude from
the public
and the decisions ministers make now
over how staff are rewarded
will be scrutinized extremely closely
well four unions are tonight written to
the chancellor asking him to reconsider
this proposal
he though says this must be considered
in the wider context of the hit that
there has been
on the economy now nhs pay is a motive
at the best of times
let alone during a pandemic but i think
both sides will have to
consider carefully their next steps
unions looking at strike action
and ministers who won't want to be on
the wrong side of public opinion
on this but if they are they're going to
have to calculate just how much
political pain
it's going to cause them vicki young
thank you