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Fair pay: campaign calls on government to give NHS staff 15% rise

Campaign groups Nurses United and NHS Workers Say No has a week of action planned including tweeting and emailing MPs and an online rally 

Campaign groups Nurses United and NHS Workers Say No has a week of action planned including tweeting and emailing MPs, sharing poetry and NHS pay posters as well as an online rally

A Nurse United poster urging the government to give NHS workers a 15% pay rise

A week of events are being held by Nurses United and NHS Workers Say No calling on the government to give nurses and other NHS staff a 15% pay rise.

Tonight at 8pm, the campaign groups have organised a Protestival for Pay where nursing staff and members of the public tweet their MP asking for support over nurses’ pay.

Nurses urged to email MPs to request pay rise

The groups also suggested that nurses should send their MP an email formally requesting a pay rise.

Nurses United's lead organiser nurse Anthony Johnson said the government has already been warned about staff shortages because of pay and working conditions.

Nurses United campaign group lead organiser Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson

He said: ‘Pay is directly linked to safe staffing and patient safety and now NHS staff are being driven into taking action to defend themselves, so that when you press that buzzer there will be a nurse at the end of it.’

Protestival for Pay has asked for people’s creative side to come out on Wednesday. The groups want poems shared online and NHS pay posters placed in windows to be highlighted on Nurses United's Facebook page.

Wednesday’s events also include:

  • A video tutorial explaining how to use sign language asking for a pay rise.
  • Groups around the UK displaying banners and signs calling for a 15% pay rise for nurses.
  • An online poetry event at 7.30pm.

Feedback encouraged on pay and working conditions

The groups say that Thursday is allocated for spreading the word to nursing colleagues about the importance of a pay rise and how they can support the campaign.

The organisations have also set up a survey for nurses and healthcare professionals to offer feedback about pay and working conditions.

Online rally to be held on Friday

Finally, the week will be rounded off on Friday 16 October with an online rally held on the NHS Workers Say No Facebook page at 8pm.

The event will include nurses on the front line discussing possible next steps and what has happened so far, and will finish with a DJ and dance session.

The Department for Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.

Find out more

Nurses United

NHS Workers Say NO


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