NHS workers have already experienced a decade of pay cuts, with the average nurse seeing their pay fall in real-terms by between £5,000 and £6,000.
As public sector workers continue to strike amid soaring inflation and a cost of living crisis, the Tory government has ramped up its attacks on unions and workers, seeking to portray them as unreasonable and greedy.
Today marks the largest nursing strike in NHS history, with up to 100,000 nurses going on strike over poor pay and in a bid to protect patient safety.
Despite the government trying to portray the demands of nurses as unreasonable, here are some facts highlighting how dire the situation is facing nurses and why many have been left with no choice but to go on strike.
A real terms pay cut of between £5,000-£6,000
NHS workers have already experienced a decade of pay cuts, with the average nurse seeing their pay fall in real-terms by between £5,000 and £6,000. The TUC says that nurses earn £5,000 a year less in real terms than in 2010, and midwives and paramedics £6,000 less.
1 in 3 struggling to afford food and heating
The Enough is Enough campaign today highlighted how 1 in 3 nurses are struggling to afford food and heating as the cost of living crisis impact them and their families.
14% of nurses have turned to foodbanks in recent months
A recent survey of 2,500 nurses and health workers, carried out by the Cavell Nurses’ Trust, found a concerning 14% were using food banks to feed themselves and their family.
These are just some of the facts worth bearing in mind when the government condemns nurses for going on strike.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.