A petition to increase the pay of nurses, midwives and allied health staff has reached 100,000 signatures, triggering a debate in parliament.
The petition, created by community nurse Danielle Tiplady, reached 100,000 signatures on 17 January. The debate will take place on Monday 30 January. It will be led by Labour MP Catherine McKinnell.
‘This is a monumental step in our campaign to “Scrap the Cap”, said Janet Davies, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing. ‘Working at the centre of the NHS crisis, nursing staff are going above and beyond every single day, yet they have endured the public sector pay cap since 2010. This has left them 14% worse off in real terms, and more and more of our members are telling us they are reaching breaking point.’
The petition argued that nurses have suffered a 14% cut in real terms pay. The RCN and other unions are urging the NHS Pay Review Body to increase nurse pay to alleviate the recruitment crisis. The body will submit its decision in February.
‘We will continue to fight until all nursing staff receive the pay they truly deserve,’ concluded Ms Davies.