Low-paid health workers including nurses look set to lose jobs or pay. The move would break one of two promises made by David Cameron and George Osborne.
Low-paid frontline health workers, including nurses, are set to lose either pay or jobs in what would amount to a breach of one of two key Tory promises. The latest unwinding follows the news, first reported by Left Foot Forward, that the Tory-led Government’s promise to protect NHS spending had come unstuck.
The Observer today reports that:
The NHS plans to make 35,000 nurses, cleaners and medical secretaries redundant unless staff accept a pay deal that will see them lose up to several thousand pounds a year…
The 1.1 million workers facing the dilemma are mostly the lowest-paid, who, in common with other public sector workers, are already facing two years with no pay rise from April. They are on NHS pay bands 1-6, earning between £13,653 and £34,189.
In an interview with Andrew Marr on the Sunday before the general election, David Cameron said:
“any cabinet minister if I win the election, if we win the election, who comes to me and says, “Here are my plans” and they involve frontline reductions, they’ll be sent straight back to their department to go away and think again.”
Cuts to frontline jobs in the health service would follow the cuts already announced in the police force and justice system. Meanwhile, George Osborne used the Budget to announce:
“That is why the Government is asking the public sector to accept a two-year pay freeze. But we will protect the lowest paid.
“In the past I have said that we would be able to exclude the one million public sector workers earning less than £18,000 from a one year pay freeze. Today, because we have had to ask for a two year freeze, I extend the protection to cover the 1.7 million public servants who earn less than £21,000.
So either Cameron’s promise of frontline reductions or Osborne’s promise on low paid public servants will be breached. No wonder Mike Jackson of Unison said NHS workers faced “a very tough choice, to accept that they should take a drop in their living standards to save the jobs of their colleagues in some cases”.
76 Responses to “Another Tory broken promise on health”
Hitchin England
Another Tory broken promise on health as low paid frontline workers set to lose jobs or pay http://bit.ly/h9C6yp via @leftfootfwd
Anon E Mouse
Mr.Sensible – In the last 18 months you have constantly misread the actual situation – you are not alone in this.
It seems to me that if Labour supporters are writing these articles and Labour supporters are leaving posts on this blog then the coalition has no problems whatsoever to worry about.
Leave aside that everyone knows the wrong man leads Labour – he’s more indecisive and useless than Gordon Brown for goodness sake – Labour supporters are frankly delusional and dishonest. For example:
Ben Fox – states “Labour is temporarily out of office” What!
Tim Horton – states the coalition will result in another General Election in 2010. What!
Joss Garman – pretty much everything from this posh boy eco toff is wrong.
And the posters are no better. Take “Richard” on comment 3 here – he claimed the Tories had taken Britain into “avoidable wars” and then ignores the response to it.
The fact is that if Labour doesn’t up its game in the next few years, starting I would suggest with ditching the incompetent “Son of Brown”, Ed Miliband, it can look forwards to many years in opposition.
Five years from now tuition fees will be a distant memory, the economy will have been turned round, Labour will have become somehow embroiled in the inevitable strikes in 2011 and Ed Miliband, against the wishes of Labour MP’s, will still be leader.
Since the general election Left Foot Forward has had almost daily helping of “doom and gloom” for the government and none has been proven right. Not one.
The left needs to read a book called Nudge – can’t remember who wrote it and stop the unattractive lying and smearing or just get used to opposition.
Considering this site was founded by the son of a highly successful Labour politician, Will Straw, I am surprised at just how wrong you all are so often and more importantly why Labour doesn’t get a grip and start demanding honesty about the situation and their record.
Miliband started with a great speech but it’s now obvious he can talk the talk only and if anyone can put hand on heart and say he will ever be a Prime Minister then I can point out someone who excused Gordon Brown and is a delusional fool. Ed Miliband is a dud, needs to go and in your hearts you know I’m right. Merry Christmas all….
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