Chancellor Rishi Sunak in an EXCLUSIVE interview to Asian Voice assures pay rise for NHS workers next yearOn Tuesday 9th March, the Treasury’s own public sector pay Equality Impact Assessment released by GMB Union of workers revealed that 80% affected by the NHS 1% pay recommendation are women or from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. The document appears amid growing anger against the Government’s 1% pay recommendation amounting to a mere £3.50 hike for NHS workers in England after a year of the coronavirus pandemic. Following the announcement, the Royal College of Nursing warned the government of a severe “backlash” from the staff as it called the suggested rise "pitiful" and said that nurses should be getting 12.5% more. While organisations such as the Doctors Association UK have challenged the government to explain to the country how “it is morally or economically justifiable to cut the real-terms pay of staff that saved the life of the Prime Minister in the last year, while paying £7000 a day to management consultants for the outsourced test and trace program.”
Knife in the back when NHS is facing a retention crisisCommenting on the subject, Dr Kaveri Jalundhwala, Vice-Chair Doctors’ Association UK said, “The Prime Minister has previously told NHS staff that, “We owe you more than words can say” for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now he must back up his rhetoric with action and act to pay NHS staff what they deserve after the last year of hell. If he fails to do so, it will be clear to the public that his priority is not the NHS.“Frontline staff are already shell shocked and considering if they want to keep working in the NHS after the betrayals they have experienced in the last year and previously. This latest knife in the back may represent an insurmountable barrier to staff retainment and worsening NHS staff vacancies which already stand at over 100,000. The NHS is facing a retention crisis, and this recommendation of 1% may be the final nail in the coffin.”Delays in the Bill for Right to Remain for NHS Migrant WorkersThe warnings that the staff may go on strike is even more worrisome in light of consistent delays in the passing of the Bill for Right to Remain for NHS Migrant Workers. In November 2019, the Immigration (Health and Social Care Staff) Bill 2019-21 was put forward, which would offer migrant healthcare workers indefinite leave to remain. This is similar to the actions taken in countries such as France, who are granting full citizenship to frontline migrant workers. The bill is supported by the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Nursing, the Doctors Association UK, Independent Age, and Unison, and MPs are thought to have received upwards of 7400 letters of advocacy for the bill.Unfortunately, the second reading of the bill was delayed in January 2021 due to the Common’s COVID safety rules. The Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine, who sponsored the Bill, has since urged the government to consider debating the bill remotely, due to the urgency of its nature.It should also be noted that higher pay rises (2.1%) were previously promised by the NHS Long Term Plan before Covid-19. The Chancellor vowed to give the NHS “whatever it needs” to tackle the coronavirus crisis last year. The latest recommendation ignores a decade of real-terms pay which has seen pay cut by £600 per employee over the last decade.Now, the latest Equality Impact Assessment, reveals that the 1% recommendation, which would be a pay cut in real terms, contradicts a statement in the Treasury’s internal document that the Government would “exclude all members of the NHS workforce from public sector pay restraint.”Compiled by civil servants in November for the Comprehensive Spending Review, it was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and is being released by GMB Union which represents NHS workers. GMB calls for the government to U-turnAlmost a quarter 23% of NHS workers are members of an ethnic minority, the Treasury said. The Equality Impact Assessment said that “Asian and Asian British workers are relatively overrepresented in the NHS workforce when compared to the [wider] public sector. In particular, 8% of the NHS workforce identify as Asian or Asian British whereas only 1% of the public sector identify as Asian or Asian British. Besides, there is a smaller proportion of individuals that identify as White in the NHS workforce relative to the [wider] public sector.” In a statement, Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, said, “The Government must U-turn on its disgraceful plan to impose a real-terms pay cut on NHS workers. “This damning document proves that this paltry offer would hit the living standards of women workers and minority groups hardest. What is more, it proves that Ministers knew this and went ahead anyway. Our NHS workers have risked everything to keep us safe during the coronavirus outbreak, now they deserve a real pay rise after a decade of austerity and real terms cuts to pay.” Currently, 22.1% of staff at NHS are from ethnic minority community, out of which 131,446 are Asian. But 31.4% of medical staff are Asian, with the highest number of overseas staff being Indians at 25,809. Health unions decried the absence of a pay rise for NHS staff, despite their dedication and hard work during the pandemic. Pay rise a kick in the teethDr. Chaand Nagpaul, Chairman of British Medical Association (BMA) said, “This is a total dereliction of the Government’s moral duty and obligation to a workforce that is keeping the NHS on its feet and patients alive.“Throughout the pandemic, doctors have cared for more critically ill patients than was ever thought possible and worked round the clock despite suffering from extreme stress and exhaustion, with BMA surveys showing significant numbers of doctors selflessly working extra hours without pay. This is a time at which the Government should demonstrate that it recognises the contribution of a workforce that has literally kept this country alive for the past 10 months.“This comes as a kick in the teeth after a decade in which doctors have experienced real-terms pay cuts of up to 30% and in the same week as the Chancellor has announced a huge increase in the taxation on doctor’s pensions that will leave virtually all doctors worse off. The Doctors and Dentists Review Body must demonstrate that it is truly independent of Government and recognise the need for a fair pay uplift that makes up for historic pay cuts but also recognises the efforts made and personal risks doctors have taken during this terrible pandemic.”Another matter to affect the senior NHS doctors is the ‘freeze’ on lifetime limits for pension tax relief. There is already evidence that pension tax relief limits have caused doctors to reduce shifts or even retire early and a cap of this sort could make that problem worse just at the wrong time for our country. Some 1.3 million public sector workers will see a pay freeze next year, while those earning less than £24,000 guaranteed a pay rise of at least £250.
BOXChancellor assures pay rise for NHS workers next yearChancellor Rishi Sunak believes it is ‘unfair' to say that people have not received any support. Speaking to Asian Voice, in an exclusive interview Mr Sunak said, “My dad was a GP, my mum a pharmacist, and I know what an amazing job the NHS has done and their heroic efforts. My dad has gone back to work volunteering during this pandemic, so I know what is happening at ground level. “The budget is designed to deal with tax policy and economic policy, and we deal with public spending at spending reviews. At spending review in November, we have set up a budget for all public departments, and NHS in a midst of a long-term settlement is going to receive £33bn a year- a significant rise in NHS spending.“They will also a get a lot of money next year for dealing with coronavirus and vaccine rollout. As far as pay is concerned, the review body goes through a process to decide appropriate pay. When we set up the rest of the pay policy for the public sector in November at the Spending Review, we did specifically exempt the NHS from the broader approach of public sector pay to ensure that NHS workers would get a pay rise next year.”====================================
Knife in the back when NHS is facing a retention crisisCommenting on the subject, Dr Kaveri Jalundhwala, Vice-Chair Doctors’ Association UK said, “The Prime Minister has previously told NHS staff that, “We owe you more than words can say” for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now he must back up his rhetoric with action and act to pay NHS staff what they deserve after the last year of hell. If he fails to do so, it will be clear to the public that his priority is not the NHS.“Frontline staff are already shell shocked and considering if they want to keep working in the NHS after the betrayals they have experienced in the last year and previously. This latest knife in the back may represent an insurmountable barrier to staff retainment and worsening NHS staff vacancies which already stand at over 100,000. The NHS is facing a retention crisis, and this recommendation of 1% may be the final nail in the coffin.”Delays in the Bill for Right to Remain for NHS Migrant WorkersThe warnings that the staff may go on strike is even more worrisome in light of consistent delays in the passing of the Bill for Right to Remain for NHS Migrant Workers. In November 2019, the Immigration (Health and Social Care Staff) Bill 2019-21 was put forward, which would offer migrant healthcare workers indefinite leave to remain. This is similar to the actions taken in countries such as France, who are granting full citizenship to frontline migrant workers. The bill is supported by the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Nursing, the Doctors Association UK, Independent Age, and Unison, and MPs are thought to have received upwards of 7400 letters of advocacy for the bill.Unfortunately, the second reading of the bill was delayed in January 2021 due to the Common’s COVID safety rules. The Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine, who sponsored the Bill, has since urged the government to consider debating the bill remotely, due to the urgency of its nature.It should also be noted that higher pay rises (2.1%) were previously promised by the NHS Long Term Plan before Covid-19. The Chancellor vowed to give the NHS “whatever it needs” to tackle the coronavirus crisis last year. The latest recommendation ignores a decade of real-terms pay which has seen pay cut by £600 per employee over the last decade.Now, the latest Equality Impact Assessment, reveals that the 1% recommendation, which would be a pay cut in real terms, contradicts a statement in the Treasury’s internal document that the Government would “exclude all members of the NHS workforce from public sector pay restraint.”Compiled by civil servants in November for the Comprehensive Spending Review, it was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and is being released by GMB Union which represents NHS workers. GMB calls for the government to U-turnAlmost a quarter 23% of NHS workers are members of an ethnic minority, the Treasury said. The Equality Impact Assessment said that “Asian and Asian British workers are relatively overrepresented in the NHS workforce when compared to the [wider] public sector. In particular, 8% of the NHS workforce identify as Asian or Asian British whereas only 1% of the public sector identify as Asian or Asian British. Besides, there is a smaller proportion of individuals that identify as White in the NHS workforce relative to the [wider] public sector.” In a statement, Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, said, “The Government must U-turn on its disgraceful plan to impose a real-terms pay cut on NHS workers. “This damning document proves that this paltry offer would hit the living standards of women workers and minority groups hardest. What is more, it proves that Ministers knew this and went ahead anyway. Our NHS workers have risked everything to keep us safe during the coronavirus outbreak, now they deserve a real pay rise after a decade of austerity and real terms cuts to pay.” Currently, 22.1% of staff at NHS are from ethnic minority community, out of which 131,446 are Asian. But 31.4% of medical staff are Asian, with the highest number of overseas staff being Indians at 25,809. Health unions decried the absence of a pay rise for NHS staff, despite their dedication and hard work during the pandemic. Pay rise a kick in the teethDr. Chaand Nagpaul, Chairman of British Medical Association (BMA) said, “This is a total dereliction of the Government’s moral duty and obligation to a workforce that is keeping the NHS on its feet and patients alive.“Throughout the pandemic, doctors have cared for more critically ill patients than was ever thought possible and worked round the clock despite suffering from extreme stress and exhaustion, with BMA surveys showing significant numbers of doctors selflessly working extra hours without pay. This is a time at which the Government should demonstrate that it recognises the contribution of a workforce that has literally kept this country alive for the past 10 months.“This comes as a kick in the teeth after a decade in which doctors have experienced real-terms pay cuts of up to 30% and in the same week as the Chancellor has announced a huge increase in the taxation on doctor’s pensions that will leave virtually all doctors worse off. The Doctors and Dentists Review Body must demonstrate that it is truly independent of Government and recognise the need for a fair pay uplift that makes up for historic pay cuts but also recognises the efforts made and personal risks doctors have taken during this terrible pandemic.”Another matter to affect the senior NHS doctors is the ‘freeze’ on lifetime limits for pension tax relief. There is already evidence that pension tax relief limits have caused doctors to reduce shifts or even retire early and a cap of this sort could make that problem worse just at the wrong time for our country. Some 1.3 million public sector workers will see a pay freeze next year, while those earning less than £24,000 guaranteed a pay rise of at least £250.
BOXChancellor assures pay rise for NHS workers next yearChancellor Rishi Sunak believes it is ‘unfair' to say that people have not received any support. Speaking to Asian Voice, in an exclusive interview Mr Sunak said, “My dad was a GP, my mum a pharmacist, and I know what an amazing job the NHS has done and their heroic efforts. My dad has gone back to work volunteering during this pandemic, so I know what is happening at ground level. “The budget is designed to deal with tax policy and economic policy, and we deal with public spending at spending reviews. At spending review in November, we have set up a budget for all public departments, and NHS in a midst of a long-term settlement is going to receive £33bn a year- a significant rise in NHS spending.“They will also a get a lot of money next year for dealing with coronavirus and vaccine rollout. As far as pay is concerned, the review body goes through a process to decide appropriate pay. When we set up the rest of the pay policy for the public sector in November at the Spending Review, we did specifically exempt the NHS from the broader approach of public sector pay to ensure that NHS workers would get a pay rise next year.”====================================
