Dr Clive Peedell has hit out at the government for singling out nurses and NHS workers for harsh and unfair treatment. Jeremy Hunt has refused to accept the advice of the NHS pay review body which recommended a 1% pay rise. 600,000 nurses and other NHS staff won’t be entitled to the meagre pay rise because they already receive incremental pay increases linked to their job progression. But these merely reflect their growing experience on the job. Dr Peedell says Jeremy Hunt has made the wrong decision: The majority of NHS staff are low paid and this is another insult when they are working incredibly hard to ensure patients receive high quality care in an underfunded and stretched service. The Government is making a flawed argument that this move will protect jobs. Recent evidence from Oxford University and Stanford University, as well as the IMF, have proven that health spending actually increases economic growth by keeping the workforce healthy and generating a fiscal multiplier effect. This decision means 600,000 people with less money in their pockets to spend in the economy. Poor pay will also make it even harder to recruit good staff, creating further problems. Once again an independent pay review body has been ignored and this leads us to question what is the point of having an independent review if the Government is going to ignore the recommendations. This decision starkly demonstrates the government’s flawed priorities. It is first and foremost a government that puts the interests of the City of London before the interests of ordinary working people. The only solution is punish them where it hurts most – the ballot box.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 19:36:58 +0000
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