nhs staff unite!

[lcg]

if you work for the nhs, you may well be aware that the government (as they like to describe themselves) have already stated that they wanted to impose a pay freeze on our already rubbish wages. first it was one year; then two...but you will never guess what else they want to take from us - please watch the attached link and send to as many work buddies in the biz.

in real terms, this will mean massive pay cuts as inflation and everything else goes up...in my department we are already two nurses short and they are not going to be replaced...i am doing on average about 4-5 hours unpiad overtime each week to keep up with paperwork and stuff i don't have time to do when i run the ward...and i'm getting a little cheesed off now. not to mention the overtime i have to do in order to actually pay my bills.

also, have a look at the new pay scales...they are also a bit of a joke for newly trained nurses and for those who are being employed at band 2 - for hcsw's, porters, security etc. it is a pittance for the job they actually do: http://www.rcn.org.uk...018/233901/003303.pdf

nurses are already the lowest paid of teachers, police, social workers etc. and now we have to put up with NO money for two years? tell people, e-mail youe union and have a joly good moan. rant over...sorry x

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xzg9UkU-Nk

[Bobbisox]

I am not NHS working but you guys deserve a hefty rise each year
Bobbi

[craft1948]

I'm not disagreeing that they may deserve a pay rise, but where would you suggest the money comes from.....we're about bloody bankrupt.

[B00]

No one else gets a hefty rise each year Bobbs, why nurses?

Not getting at you or your post lcg, at the end of the day, I hope you (and all of us come ot think of it) get the wages that reflect the jobs we do.

[Bobbisox]

take it from the scroungers maybe????

[jackthehat]

You can do overtime to top up your wages ?

Lucky you.............

[lcg]

cheers, bobbi. at the moment i am doing 50-60 hurs a week just to maintain basic living and hubby and son who are at uni/college respectively. i am so angry that the powers that be have decided to keep themselves nice and comfy, but are squeezing the life out of me and my colleagues. the only recent bit of satisfaction we have had was laughing at the hospital managers shovelling snow to get the night workers out of the car park when it was recently wintry. was actually funny as fcuk! x

[Bobbisox]

because, BOO, thes people have never took industrial action and always put their patients first, I am all for them being rewarded for that as I am with the Police and the Fire Services

[mccfluff]

i feel for you, i think nurses should be paid much more but i agree with crafty the country is in trouble, where is the money going to come from? we've had a pay freeze for three years now and no end in sight and that's a private co.

[B00]

Maybe looking closer to home lcg, like say your surgeons and the big wigs of your hospital?

[lcg]

all the front line professionals should have their pay protected. yes - take it from scroungers and get rid of all the middle management and paperwork culture. fyi - i may be able to do overtime, but for an 8 hour shift mon-fri i get just £38 for my regular, stressful and damn difficult role. so...not nice or good! x

[B00]

Don't agree bobbs sorry.

Like I said, nurses should be given a wage that reflects their jobs, as should we all. I don't however agree on the "hefty rise each year" bit you said.

[Mamyalynne]

From what little I know the lack of pay increases has been reluctantly agreed to, but this seems to be about Increments and have to admit I do not have a clue what these entail.
I do of course fully support all who work in the NHS (not to the detriment of any other key workers).

[Bobbisox]

They do a very specialist job BOO and should be able to eke out a decent standard of living by it

[lcg]

boo...absolutely. we have 5 nurses on our ward who regularly run it - that's 3 shifts in 24hrs 7 days a week. we also have 4 seniors who mince about most of the time 'organising' and appraise / supervise us all to death. quite unecessary x

[China Doll]

Agreed. I am one of those NHS workers, I'm a PA... And I don't think the wages are that bad actually really. I think specialised and senior nurses are payed quite well really. Certainly I could earn more in the private sector but I would be without the benefit of pension and the 27 days annual leave we start out with and probably not so much flexible working. We don't get paid overtime here either... I just think the credit crunch has hit everyone and we're all suffering in our own ways/departments and hopefully we'll be out of it soon.

[jaydah]

cut back on hospital management, too many chiefs..... etc.

[tiggerblue10]

I didn't get a pay rise this as I do each year and I also didn't get my performance related bonus which was agreed on my annual report. We're not going to get pay rises for another 2 years even though petrol, food and energy prices are going up. Looking at your pay chart it is similar to ours depending on what grade you are. I think most people in the public sector are affected by the cost cuts so you're not alone Icg. And don't forget many people are being made redundant.

[lcg]

just as an example...strating wage for nurse = 21k. starting wage for social worker = 26k. how is that fair? x

[B00]

"eke out a decent standard of living" contrasts sharply with your "hefty wage rise each year" comment Bobbs..

[China Doll]

My agreed was to Boo, sorry.

And I don't see how protecting front line staff will do much to promote good will over the other directorates, specialties and generally other staff members within the hospital. We all do what we can to keep the ship afloat. I do agree middle management could do with being cut down however.

You get a yearly increment after your appraisal mamy assuming there's no problems with your performance, it's not much but it's a little payrise.