London nurses take to the streets over pay

The Royal College of Nursing has announced that nursing staff across London will support protests on Thursday, 5th June over the Government’s decision to refuse a pay rise this year to most NHS staff. Nurses have been angered by the Government’s refusal to uphold a 1% pay increase recommended by the independent body responsible for NHS pay.

NHS pay is based on recommendations made by an independent pay review body. After a two year freeze the independent review body recommended a 1% increase this year for all NHS staff. However, in March the Government announced it was ignoring what the review body had to say and it would only give the pay rise to some staff in the NHS.

With inflation running at well over 1%, a pay “rise” of 1% after a two year freeze is not a pay rise and would leave NHS staff with pay which is worth less than their pay was worth three years ago. The Government says it cannot find the money to pay NHS staff even as much as they were earning when the Governnment came into office. That is because the Government has spent vast sums of taxpayers money propping up the banks. The banks are using this money to pay high bonuses to their richest workers – so there is no money left to restore the value of wages paid to NHS nurses, cleaners and technicians.

RCN members from across East London, together with other health trade unions, will gather outside The Royal London Hospital from 10am to 2pm on 5th June. Other protest events on 5th June supported by RCN members in London will take place at several other hospitals.

The 5th June “Day of action” for NHS staff is taking place in London and across England. RCN London welcome the support of members of the local community who wish to come and support their local nurses on the day.

RCN London Regional Director Bernell Bussue said: “Nursing staff in London are rightly angry that the Government have chosen to undervalue their work again this year. Many NHS staff will end up facing a four year pay freeze, at a time when the cost of living has continued to spiral upwards. This protest is not aimed at any individual employers – the Government’s continual holding down of NHS pay is damaging morale and contributing to recruitment difficulties. Nurses are working longer hours with less support for less reward. The result of this endless stretching of resources will be to put at risk the safe, high quality care which patients in London expect.”