Most liked posts in thread: 1% Pay Rise for NHS.

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

I don't think the shortage is down to money, a Tory minister was on the BBC at lunch time saying that they are looking to recruit thousands of nurses.
The thing is they will probably have to be recruited from abroad. Things have changed from when I was young. I know that men go into nursing now but when I was young if girls didn't go on to University a lot of them got a job until they found a husband and started a family or went into nursing (or both). Without being too controversial young girls have different priorities these days.
In my opinion however much we pay nurses it isn't enough but at the moment finances are stretched. The big internet companies like Amazon for example need to start paying more tax, now that would be a start.
A lot of people say we need to spend more money on the NHS but it isn't all about money, a lot of the problems are to do with the actual running of it.

 

I wonder if the SNP are trying to bribe the Scottish electorate, surely no political party would do that.

 

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!

 

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 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.

 

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

 

Sorry Aaron, I didn't read all your thread mate.

 

Easy political score for the SNP as the English taxpayer will foot the bill anyway

 

The Institute of fiscal Studies has warned that SNP ministers have used short term Covid funding to pay for a raft of pre-election give -aways. It said that tens of millions from the treasury were being used to fund free school meals, free bus travel, a council tax freeze and possibly above inflation NHS pay rises.

 

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

 

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.