NHS heroes call for public to increase pay pressure on Government
NHS workers in the West Midlands are calling on the public to help them put pressure on the Government to give them a bigger pay rise.
Hospital porters, clerical workers, cleaners, nurses, healthcare assistants and other NHS staff are this week urging people to contact their local MPs to keep up the pressure on the issue.
The Government has come under fire over its proposed one per cent pay increase for NHS workers, despite their heroic efforts during the pandemic. Health workers in Scotland will soon receive a wage rise of at least four per cent.
The workers are being backed by the Unison union, which is calling for a minimum wage boost of at least £2,000.
By now, NHS staff would be £250 better off if UNISON’s 2k pay claim had been implemented on 1 April.
Health workers will be touring Wolverhampton, Walsall, Birmingham, Shrewsbury, Coventry Stoke and Nuneaton in a campaign bus this week and next.
Unison West Midlands head of health Chanel Willis said: “NHS staff have given their all during the pandemic. They’ll continue to do so to clear the backlog caused by Covid. But despite their incredible efforts, the Government says a meagre one per cent rise is all they’re worth.
“The length of waiting lists across the West Midlands shows the huge challenges still facing the NHS. A decent wage increase paid soon could stop staff feeling unloved and taken for granted, and perhaps be enough to persuade many thinking of walking to stay.”
