Topic: Pathetic 1% pay rise for NHS staff in England

[Fambo Number Mive]

After expecting them to risk their lives every day with hospitals filled with COVID patients, I think the least we can do is give NHS staff in England a 12.5% pay rise*, especially when you consider how much unpaid overtime they do.

According to Ben Chu, economics editor of the Independent:

The OBR estimates CPI inflation at 1.5% in 2021 and 1.8% in 2022 - so a 1% pay rise for NHS staff would be a real terms pay *cut*

https://twitter.com/BenChu_/status/1367543884562243592

There's a clap to protest the pathetic pay rise for NHS staff in England on March 11th and April 1st:

Britons are being encouraged to join in a sarcastic "mass slow handclap" to protest against the government's proposed pay rise for NHS staff of just 1%.

Union Unison said people should "stand up" against the "derisory" pay increase proposal by taking part in the mass slow clap on Thursday March 11 at 8pm.

It said this will be repeated three weeks later on April 1, the day staff were due to have their next wage increase.

The protest is a parody of the previous 'clap for carers' campaign, in which members of the public, along with the prime minister and top Cabinet ministers, applauded NHS workers earlier in the pandemic for leading the battle against coronavirus.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-03-05/nhs-britons-urged-to-join-in-sarcastic-mass-slow-handclap-to-protest-proposed-1-pay-rise

Though I agree that NHS staff should get a much higher pay rise than 1% after risking their lives and working longer hours than ever to try and keep hospitals from collapsing, I won't be taking part in the clap because I would feel uncomfortable standing on my doorstep slow hand clapping.

Meanwhile, a Tory student attacks people risking their lives every day for asking for a decent standard of living:

https://twitter.com/emilyhewertson/status/1367789902457417728

Lots of people saying "well they choose to do the job" - looks like most of them are Tory supporters who can probably afford private healthcare. If we keep paying NHS staff in England poorly, we'll have even more healthcare vacancies as people can't afford to stay in the job.

I wonder if people like Hewertson get upset about the billions thrown at the pisspoor Serco Test and Trace, the money wasted on unusable FFP2 facemasks (https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1367781904943046657), the billions spent on Trident and the government spending a million pounds to defend a judicial review of their decisions to award contracts criticised by the NAO (https://goodlawproject.org/update/ramping-up-costs-silence-us/)

As well as being the morally correct thing to do and a way of ensuring we don't lose even more healthcare staff from our understaffed NHS, giving a higher pay rise to NHS staff in England will mean more money going back into the economy as they are more likely to spend it than a billionaire getting a tax break. If I ever go into hospital, I want everyone working in there to be as well paid and comfortable as possible.

Or maybe, as Hewertson tweets in defence of her party, I should "READ THE ROOM".

If nurses do strike, I will be behind them 100%. No doubt the Government, Tory press and Tory grifters on Twitter will try and smear them. Fuck the Tories and solidarity with healthcare workers in England*

Here's a good piece from Tribune: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/03/1-is-not-enough-its-time-for-nhs-pay-justice

...

This all came on the back of a decade of hostile government policy. Most notably, between 2012 and 2017, was the government public sector pay freeze. The result of this decision was a large real term pay cut.

Even now, once accounting for inflation, pay remains around 10 percent below 2010 levels, a statistic that has real consequences. According to recent research, two in three nurses are working overtime to pay bills; 30 percent rely on borrowed money to pay for essentials; four in ten have skipped meals to feed their families; and reports of nurses using food banks are anything but uncommon.

To pay homage to the bravery and sacrifice of the health and care frontline, the best many could do during lockdown was ‘clap for carers’ at 8 o’clock on a Thursday. But applause does not pay the bills...

*and everywhere else. Not sure what is happening re pay for healthcare workers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

[lipsink]

So fucking grim. They're not held accountable so why should they even pretend to give a shit?

Fuck, I just remembered the fucking bus.

[shiftwork2]

They loathe NHS workers.  17% effective pay cut 2013-18.  The recent lionising turned their stomachs but fair fucks for being consistent I suppose.

Don't vote for the Conservative Party.

[GMTV]

This is the one thing that sticks in the throat about the furlough scheme. Thinking about how many folk who were in basically waste of time jobs been paid for a year to sit on their arse doing fuck all. Whereas that money could be going to key workers. Quite obviously an impossible optimisation exercise.

[jobotic]

I really hope that this isn't Unison's idea of "action" bit I fear it will be as our new leader and NEC are Starmer loyalists, and he certainly won't be backing any industrial action.

[Fambo Number Mive]

This is the one thing that sticks in the throat about the furlough scheme. Thinking about how many folk who were in basically waste of time jobs been paid for a year to sit on their arse doing fuck all. Whereas that money could be going to key workers. Quite obviously an impossible optimisation exercise.

Furlough was hardly generous - people on furlough had to take a 20% per cent pay cut in most cases and it wasn't their fault they couldn't go into work. The alternative to furlough would have been a massive rise in people trying to get by on benefits. There's enough money out there to pay furlough at 100% and give NHS staff in England a 12.5% pay rise.

I'm sure some pointless jobs were subsidised but given the lack of full employment and a shitty benefits system it's probably better for society that people continue in them. I'd rather look at replacing the jobs which are actively harmful to society.

Apologies if I'm misunderstood your post.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Personally I think all public sector workers in England should strike. It's clear the government don't care about the health of teachers or children in state schools, for example. Easy for me to say that though given I don't work in the public sector.

Imagine if we had a general strike like in 1929 but instead of the upper class scabbing it was a load of Tory grifters.

[idunnosomename]

10% is fuck all but sounds decent

1% is an insult. why did they even bother? is there some strategy they can u-turn and look better? had Nadine Dorries doing the breakfast shows today from her attic with a wheel of doom, another sign they dont give a shit

[Fambo Number Mive]

I think it was because most of their core supporters don't actually like the NHS system and would like to see it replaced with private healthcare (or at least a French-style insurance system).

It was hard enough to sell them the corporation tax rise, actually paying frontline healthcare workers who don't make share prices go up and down a decent wage would probably cause Tory members to protest to their local parties. 1% was enough to make the general public think they were rewarding this NHS without upsetting their base.

[jobotic]

If the attacks that will come from their friends in the media don't work and the public are actually angry about it Johnson can always override his rival and claim credit for a u-turn.

[poo]

Tory cunts. They're nailed-on for the next election.

[votestuffer]

You're all misunderstanding the numbers, as usual.

We are committed to publishing all contracts and to date have published 99% of these in the Official Journal of the EU and we are working to publish outstanding contracts as soon as possible.

So 1% is officially shorthand for the percentage of contracts whose details were published illegally late. This is what the lay person knows as 97%.

Even if the government are equivocating and actually referring to the number of contracts that still haven't been published it is 100/708 or 14.124%.

Both of which are, in fact, terribly generous. So stop complaining.

[Butchers Blind]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56295191

As long as the government's spending money on the right things.

[GMTV]

Furlough was hardly generous - people on furlough had to take a 20% per cent pay cut in most cases and it wasn't their fault they couldn't go into work. The alternative to furlough would have been a massive rise in people trying to get by on benefits. There's enough money out there to pay furlough at 100% and give NHS staff in England a 12.5% pay rise.

I'm sure some pointless jobs were subsidised but given the lack of full employment and a shitty benefits system it's probably better for society that people continue in them. I'd rather look at replacing the jobs which are actively harmful to society.

Apologies if I'm misunderstood your post.

There will be companies who basically contribute nothing to the benefit of society who have been able to furlough people. I'm railing generally about the fact 'key workers' are so poorly valued. It doesn't seem morally fair that someone who was in a job that produced almost nothing of value can sit around for a year and be paid the same as some lower paid front line workers.

[earl_sleek]

There will be companies who basically contribute nothing to the benefit of society who have been able to furlough people. I'm railing generally about the fact 'key workers' are so poorly valued. It doesn't seem morally fair that someone who was in a job that produced almost nothing of value can sit around for a year and be paid the same as some lower paid front line workers.

The median UK income is currently around £30,420, 80% of which is £24,336. That's more than a great deal of key workers - I'm currently on just under 19k a year, and someone on a minimum wage, assuming no overtime is on around 17k.

I don't have a problem with the idea of the furlough scheme, the alternative would have been whacking a load of people who have lost their jobs for no fault of their own on the punitive and unfit for purpose benefits system. But it does seem deeply unjust that many people doing pointless jobs have been earning more money not working, while me (and I'm one of the better off ones!) and many colleagues are earning less while working in jobs that society literally cannot function without.

[BlodwynPig]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56295191

As long as the government's spending money on the right things.

In days past, this would have been a thread on its own. Labour's response is weak biscuits. "warped priorities", is that all?

I bet it's kitted out with the best espresso machines and the croissants will be lovely and buttery. Buying already bought journalists. "haw haw haw". The only competition here will be for new young upstarts trying to toady their way into becoming political correspondent for their organisation to get a piece of the action.

Anyone fancy breaking in and trashing it?

[bgmnts]

You're all misunderstanding the numbers, as usual.

So 1% is officially shorthand for the percentage of contracts whose details were published illegally late. This is what the lay person knows as 97%.

Even if the government are equivocating and actually referring to the number of contracts that still haven't been published it is 100/708 or 14.124%.

Both of which are, in fact, terribly generous. So stop complaining.

No its not.

[BlodwynPig]

No its not.

Don't feed the troll.

[Buelligan]

They can't have any money because Dido Harding's out the back with Matt Hancock's mates and the Cunt Cummings, eating it all.

[Fambo Number Mive]

ANDREW LAURENCE IS VERY LOUDLY AGAINST A STRIKE:

https://twitter.com/andrewlawrence/status/1368117374910627841

Angry sweary shouty man. Really doesn't seem to like NHS staff. Of course there are "rotten apples" in the NHS like any other profession, but those are a tiny minority out of the millions working hard under very difficult circumstances.

Once the pandemic is over, the 1% pay rise won't even cover the parking charges at some hospitals in England.

[idunnosomename]

Dead eyed unfunny cunt. Not sure how anyone can watch that shit to the end

[Fambo Number Mive]

I should add I think all public sector workers should get a decent pay rise, not just NHS staff in England. The public sector pay freeze for non-NHS workers is disgraceful as well.

Of course when we bailed out the banks we were able to find millions of pounds then.

[BlodwynPig]

ANDREW LAURENCE IS VERY LOUDLY AGAINST A STRIKE:

https://twitter.com/andrewlawrence/status/1368117374910627841

Angry sweary shouty man. Really doesn't seem to like NHS staff. Of course there are "rotten apples" in the NHS like any other profession, but those are a tiny minority out of the millions working hard under very difficult circumstances.

Once the pandemic is over, the 1% pay rise won't even cover the parking charges at some hospitals in England.

Please, don't bring that subhuman scum on here again. And not the place to trot out the bad apples line.

[Al Tha Funkee Homosapien]

Seems like a standard cunt negotiating technique. Offer insulting shit increase, public outcry then either option 1: Public backlash occurs or option 2: Negotiate a "better" but still shit offer like 2%.

[Fambo Number Mive]

When we experience the next pandemic X years down the line, we'll be hit even harder because there will be an even greater shortage in medical staff due to the Tories making working in the NHS in England unaffordable. That's if we still have an NHS.

I haven't had a pay rise this year and I doubt I will get one in the next couple of years after that, but I support a decent pay rise for all public sector workers because it's not a race to the bottom and the government, unlike most businesses, has the money to give decent pay rises despite the pandemic.

(I'm sure big business has the money to give pay rises but won't do because they are so profit-driven. Jeff Bezos has the money to pay every Amazon worker a living wage, for example, but won't).

[Old Thrashbarg]

No its not.

Don't feed the troll.

I'm not sure either of you have understood the post you're responding to. It's taking the piss out of the government's lying over figures.

[BlodwynPig]

Don't feed the troll.


I'm not sure either of you have understood the post you're responding to. It's taking the piss out of the government's lying over figures.

how do you know that? well it is nonsense, so I guess it could be satire.

[Old Thrashbarg]

It's essentially saying that if the government applies consistency with what they mean by "1%", then the NHS pay rise will be at least 14%. Because that's the minimum number of contracts not published at the time they said they'd published 99%.

[votestuffer]

It's essentially saying that if the government applies consistency with what they mean by "1%", then the NHS pay rise will be at least 14%. Because that's the minimum number of contracts not published at the time they said they'd published 99%.

Thank you for translating. I thought that what I had written would be understandable, but my English/sarcasm isn't very good.

[Schrodingers Cat]

Seems like a standard cunt negotiating technique. Offer insulting shit increase, public outcry then either option 1: Public backlash occurs or option 2: Negotiate a "better" but still shit offer like 2%.

That was my assumption too. They'll have gambled that if they went for, say, 5%, then there would still be a backlash and they'd have to end up at about 10%. Whereas now, they can 'negotiate' up to 5%, make it look like they've listened to the public, still increase wages by a pitiful amount, and probably use it to leverage cuts elsewhere into the bargain (they've already started the "what we can afford" routine). And they'll probably then get loads of people then backing them, because 5% suddenly looks generous in comparison.