Ministers should be ashamed that NHS staff are having to use food banks, says UNISON

Commenting on the NHS Providers cost of living survey published today (Friday), UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “It’s like the UK has gone back to Victorian times, when workers were so poor, they couldn’t feed their families. “Some health employees are now so hard up, they can’t survive without help from their employers. This is a shocking state of affairs. Ministers should be ashamed that things have come to this. “The government should be raising the wages of health workers above the cost of living. This would help keep the wolf from the door and enable the NHS to hold onto experienced staff. “Instead, the Prime Minister’s reckless gamble threatens the very future of the NHS. Any squeeze on funding or freeze on wages could see so many staff heading for the door that services are no longer able to function. It’s small wonder there’s growing support for strike action by health workers.” Notes to editors: – UNISON starts balloting NHS workers in Scotland over possible strike action next week, and in England at the end of next month. – UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors. Media contacts: Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk The article Ministers should be ashamed that NHS staff are having to...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release NHS Sara Gorton Source Type: news