‘B******s to a 1% pay rise!’ Amanda Holden slams government plan for NHS nurses’ wages and says they should ‘show them the money’
- The 1% pay rise has been described as a ‘kick in the teeth’ to the health workers
- Unions say public will be ‘horrified’ after staff have ‘given everything’ this year
- Ministers point out that the rest of the public sector is facing a complete freeze
- DHSC says pandemic has ‘placed a huge strain on both public and NHS finances’
- Amanda, 50, joined the cry to give nurses a bigger pay rise for their Covid efforts
- Amanda wrote: ‘We clapped them, we praised them, we thanked them. Now let’s bloody show them… the money! B******s to a 1% pay rise!’
Amanda Holden has hit out at the government after they announced they would be giving frontline nurses a one per cent pay rise amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The TV and radio personality, 50, shared a series of old photographs of herself in scrubs as she shared a supportive message to frontline medical workers.
Amanda wrote: ‘We clapped them, we praised them, we thanked them. Now let’s bloody show them… the money! B******s to a 1% pay rise!’
Not standing for it! Amanda Holden has hit out at the government after they announced they would be giving frontline nurses a one per cent pay rise amid the coronavirus pandemic
Amanda’s comments come amid mounting fury over the announcement, with many suggesting the pay rise is an insult to those who have risked their lives throughout the Covid pandemic.
On Friday ministers defended a headline one per cent pay rise for NHS staff, while furious union bosses threatened strikes.
Unions branded the offer from the government a ‘callous and an enormous slap in the face’ after a year on the front line of the coronavirus crisis – with demands for a 12.5 per cent increase.
Amanda’s post joined the rally cry across the country, as many demand more money for nurses in line with the suggested 12.5 per cent increase.
‘Show them the money!’ The TV and radio personality, 50, shared a series of old photographs of herself in scrubs as she shared a supportive message to frontline medical workers
The Royal College of Nursing announced it is setting up a £35million fighting fund for industrial action, while Unite said it is considering balloting members. Unison is urging the public to join a mass slow handclap next Thursday.
Sir Keir Starmer seized on the announcement to insist that ‘Covid heroes’ deserve more, while Tory MPs voiced disquiet.
Health minister Nadine Dorries – a former nurse – pointed out the rest of the public sector is facing a complete freeze, warning that the government cannot ‘afford’ to be as generous as it would like with national debt soaring towards £2.8trillion.
Amanda wrote: ‘We clapped them, we praised them, we thanked them. Now let’s bloody show them… the money! B******s to a 1% pay rise!’
In a round of interviews, she said had been ‘pleasantly surprised’ that a 1 per cent offer had been possible – and dismissed the idea that staff will quit, stressing people work in roles such as nursing because they ‘love the job’.
In a round of interviews, she said had been ‘pleasantly surprised’ that a 1 per cent offer had been possible – and dismissed the idea that staff will quit, stressing people work in roles such as nursing because they ‘love the job’.
The submission from the government to the NHS pay body is for a headline 1 per cent rise, meaning that some types of staff are likely to get more and others less.
It also notes that a further 0.7 per cent hike to the pay envelope planned under the wider health service modernisation will still go ahead.
The RCN said in a statement: ‘A strike fund is an amount of money that can be used to support workers, who are members of a trade union, to provide some compensation for loss of earnings and campaigning during industrial action.
‘RCN council are determined to have the finances available to our members should they wish to take action.
Unite union rep Ameera Sheikh is pictured outside Downing Street in London
‘In setting up this fund, the RCN will create the UK’s largest union strike fund overnight. The next steps will be decided in conjunction with our members.’
Unite national officer for health, Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe, said: ‘Following yesterday’s kick-in-the-teeth announcement that the Government wants to peg NHS pay at 1 per cent for 2021-22, Unite will be considering all its options, including the holding of an industrial action ballot, as our pay campaign mounts in the coming weeks.’
‘Our members and all NHS staff deserve a fair and decent pay rise and a meagre 1 per cent will not cut it.’
The Royal College of Nursing said their members ‘deserve a 12.5 per cent increase’.
Health minister Nadine Dorries – a former nurse – pointed out that the rest of the public sector is facing a complete freeze, warning that the government cannot ‘afford’ to be as generous as it would like with national debt soaring towards £2.8trillion
Source: Read Full Article