Hertford and Stortford Labour Party have written to Julie Marson MP calling on her to speak out against the Government’s shameful 1% pay rise for NHS workers.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast that inflation will rise to 1.5% this year, meaning that the Government’s proposed pay deal amounts to a real terms pay cut for NHS staff in England.
In a joint letter, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing and Unison said that the deal “fails the test of honesty and fails to provide staff who have been on the very frontline of the pandemic the fair pay deal they need.”
“When I found out about the 1% rise , I was frustrated but not surprised by the continuing and predictable lack of support from the Conservative government,” Natalie Russell, an NHS mental health nurse and former Stortford Branch Secretary, said. “We’ve been met with patronising sound bites, and an insulting offer which is well below the level of inflation and therefore a pay cut in real terms. We are not ‘angels’, we are hardworking, loyal professionals and deserve to be treated as such.”
Labour have criticised Julie Marson for her silence on this issue so far and have called upon her to make her position clear, and to stand up for the many NHS workers in Hertford and Stortford that have kept the community going throughout the pandemic.
“I’ve no doubt Julie Marson stood on her doorstep like the rest of us to clap for the NHS last year,” Josh Dean, Chair of Hertford and Stortford Labour Party, said. “This pay deal represents the Government’s failure to recognise that applause doesn’t pay the bills or put food on the table. NHS staff in Hertford and Stortford have done so much for us - it’s time for Julie Marson to stand up for them.”
Labour have also called on Julie Marson to stand up for the additional 1.3 million public sector workers - including teachers, the armed forces, firefighters and police officers - who are due to have their pay frozen for a year.
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