1% Pay Rise for NHS.

This discussion has been going on for as long as I can remember and the crux of it seems to revolve around the fact that no amount of money can truly compensate people like nurses for what they do.

There's a million things to balance on this one. Comparisons with the private sector is fair at a time when a lot of wages will be stagnant, people are fearful of losing their jobs and 4m people are on 80% wages on furlough.

There's things to remember I suppose that are often forgot when having this discussion.

• Average nurse wage is about £34k
• Wages are the biggest single cost to the NHS at about £56 billion a year
• The nurse wages are banded by experience, so a higher wage is sometimes available just by having an extra year under their belt rather than the inflationary uplift.

Personally, I think the wage increase is too low but not derisory. Something around 2% or 2.5% would have looked better but I also see that would have made minimal difference to the individual nurses and cost a fortune as a whole.

The unions idea of having a 12.5% increase is even more laughable than the 1% though!

 

Isn’t this pay rise part of a preagreed deal as well?

 

I'm not trying to be harsh because I've had first hand experience of how amazing they've been but many people have lost jobs, businesses and homes due to covid, not to mention loved ones. Is this truly the time to start complaining and threatening strikes?

I do think 1% is low but there's many mitigating factors and plenty of people who also worked through the pandemic and put themselves at risk won't be receiving a pay rise.

All that being said, I do think Nurses are underpaid but that's probably a different discussion from an annual pay rise.

 

I think this is fair but then we have a house of parliament whose wages went up by quite a bit more than 1%, couple that with extra revenue for working from home and the big cheques flying around for MPs mates via covid and you can taste the hypocrisy. Why can't they be happy with a round of clapping or banging of pots and pans? Got to be worth more than a pay rise.

 

Isn't part of that just due to large numbers though?

It's simpler to give 600 people a couple of percentage points increase rather than 1,500,000 people.

But I do agree that the MPs being recommended any sort of pay rise last year was ridiculous. Thankfully they eventually eventually the right thing and froze their wages.

 

The government has already given all the money away to it's chums who will part pay it back in donations come the next election.

 

Good post I think that covers most of it @NorthernMonkey, let's hope the MPs turn any pay increase down instead of hiding behind the IPSA with the usual comment they are arbitrary.

 

I can see your point. Many people have suffered. But I think you also have to put this in a longer term context. Most public sector workers had their wages frozen for years on end under Osborne's austerity regime. The real value of nurses' pay is way below what it was a decade ago. These are highly qualified, trained professionals whose remuneration is now far below other comparable professions such as accountants, lawyers etc working in the private sector. Given the events of the last year this will feel like the latest and most extreme kick in the teeth, added to all the previous ones.

 

I just think that compared to people who have lost businesses and subsequently homes and possibly even lives, an extra few quid in the pay packet isn't the greatest loss in the world. At least they are still employed and let's not forget the benefits there already entitled to with discounts ranging from a cup of coffee to a 25 year mortgage. I actually know someone in the health sector that said she's had the best couple of years ever in terms of wage with unlimited overtime and various discounts from internal and external companies.

All that said, I do believe nurses basic pay should be higher but perhaps there's a more appropriate time to debate and implement it.

 

Agree. And It's not just a large employer in scheme of the UK, Its the 5th largest employer in the whole world. Tiny percentage changes have relatively large impacts.

It's also worth moving that MPs earn about £85k but there are.....or at least were if my memory serves correctly....about 50,000 people in the NHS who earn £100k plus. It isn't exclusively a low paying organisation.

 

Always been the same with the NHS too many "chiefs" on big salaries
And no spare cash for facilities or frontline staff

 

Out of a workforce of 1.4 million who work in the NHS only around 300.000 are nurses and 120.000 are doctors
Doctors and Dentists have been offered a 2.8% rise while nurses have been offered 1%

Average pay for each is, Consultants 80k to 110K, Doctors 50k, Nurses 34k, GPs 70k plus profits

 

I would agree, that hands are tied but it doesn't help when they are shelling lucrative contracts to their mates on a VIP list, and spending 37bn on Track and Trace, whilst the Anti corruption tsar is Dido Harding's husband. So yes I think a pay rise is tricky, but they at the same time they are happy to enrich their donors which kind of ruins that ruse.

 

If you struggled to employ someone as a Commercial Director what would you do? With 50k vacancies if you wanted to go back to supply and demand basics which the Conservatives do, then clearly they are not being paid enough. Add on danger money etc, then from a staffing level they deserve and need a pay rise. Some arguments going about are that the Govt wants a poor performing Nhs as it will allow the model to be changed. I don't have a problem with it going to a Germany model but when you filter down to which companies already have their fingers in the Nhs pie privately then we will move to a model where you pay for what you use. Some say that is fairer, but we move drastically from something with equitable access for all to people not having access

 

That old chestnut.
Look it will always be the same "you scratch my back...." Tories in bed with big business, Labour with the Unions.