Responding on reports today (Wednesday) that the government will
accept the pay review body recommendation of a three per cent
pay-rise for NHS staff, despite ministers previously submitting a
proposal for a rise of just one per cent, TUC General Secretary
Frances O’Grady said:
"NHS staff and their unions, together with massive public
support, have forced the government to abandon their plan to give
our NHS workers a real-terms pay cut.
“But it is still less than the four per cent rise NHS staff will
get in Scotland. Outsourced NHS staff such as many cleaners and
porters are excluded. And ministers are still freezing the pay of
other key workers who kept us going through the pandemic – like
care workers, and teachers.
“Key worker pay is the acid test for the prime minister’s promise
to ‘build back fairer’. Every key worker deserves a decent
standard of living for their family. But too often their hard
work does not pay. We owe them better.”
Child poverty in key worker families
Research published by the TUC last week found that just over a
million children in key worker families are living below the
poverty line.
The research used the government’s definition of key workers,
which includes staff working in the NHS, public health and social
care.
Support needed for key worker families
The TUC is calling on the government to guarantee decent living
standards for key worker families by:
- Raising the national minimum wage to £10 per hour
immediately.
- Ending the freeze on public service workers’ pay and giving
all public service workers a decent pay rise.
- Funding the public sector so that all outsourced workers are
paid at least the real Living Wage and get parity with directly
employed staff.
- Cancelling the £20 cut to Universal Credit, which is set to
hit low-income families in October, and set out plans to increase
child benefit above inflation each year across the parliament.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Child poverty in key worker households: Full
details of the TUC/Landman Economics research on child poverty in
key worker households are here: https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/one-million-children-key-worker-households-live-poverty
- Winning a pay rise for key workers campaign:
More information about the TUC’s campaign for fair pay for key
workers is here: https://www.tuc.org.uk/WinningaPayRise
- About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC)
exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We
bring together the 5.5 million working people who make up our 48
member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand
up for everyone who works for a living.
