NHS staff belonging to UNISON and Unite went on a four hour strike, from 7am until 11am, today in support of their campaign to secure a meagre 1% pay rise. The independent Pay Review Body has recommended the rise but the ConDem Government has refused to implement it, despite looking to accept a 10% pay rise for MPs recommended by its independent pay body.
Staff at Salford Royal Hospital were furious with the Government this morning as they mounted picket lines along Eccles Old Road...
"They keep saying they can't afford a pay rise across the board but the teachers and public sector workers all have it, we're being treated differently to everyone else" said Susan Lewis "The Pay Review Body recommended to the Government 1% - and for the first time ever the Government ignored that."
Steve Bibby scoffed "The millionaire Government Health Secretary rejected it on our behalf."
But for many of these workers even the meagre 1% could make a huge difference... "Gas and electric are going up but our wages aren't, they should be linked to inflation" Val Cootes added, explaining that many NHS staff have to do extra shifts just to make ends meet "We work really hard, twelve hour days and we're shattered. They're killing us. They want us to do more work for less pay."
And Angela Noakes added "They don't care about us, morale is pretty low, it's tough and most of us live on our overdraft. The public see us as angels but we're not, we need to live like everyone else."
The Government is proposing to give a 1% `non-consolidated' increase only to staff at the top of their incremental scale, which will not count towards pension entitlements or shift pay and will be wiped away at the end of March 2016, as wages will go back to their April 2013 level. This means 60% of NHS staff, including 70% of nurses, have been denied a pay award this year.
"We desperately need this 1% pay rise as we've not had a pay rise for over five years which is more or less like a 15% pay cut" said Sally Griffiths "There are people here who have had their mileage payments taken off them so they are paying to work in the NHS. The MPs have had independent pay body awarding them 10% pay rise, we've had an independent pay body recommending our 1% so why don't we get it? And it should be across all bands and consolidated. We're a union and we all stick together until everyone gets 1%."
The NHS workers received huge support from passing motorists tooting their horns, but as Debbie Kent explained... "It's not the honks we want it's the pay!"
The industrial action continues this week, when, from tomorrow until Sunday union members will take their scheduled breaks, leave on time and not work unpaid overtime.
• See also previous Salford Star article - Salford Royal NHS Staff Strike For Fair Pay - click here
Photos by Steven Speed
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