Nurses asked to take a Pay Cut!!

This is a subject I feel I can for want of a better word, pontificate upon, there see Friday and hasn't my eloquence surprised you, aren't you glad you logged in.

I try as much as I can not to dwell on the past, as I believe that as long as you feel you have learned lessons, taken those lessons on board then it is OK to move on.

My ex wife, is an Auxiliary Nurse, what you would call an ass wiper, or that is what they used to do, now they do much more.

For the past few years the Auxiliary Nurses duties have widened, they have taken on a more nursing role. Taking blood pressure, taking bloods, changing dressings and handing out medications etc, and yes all with training. The reason for them doing more nursing work, is because the actual nurses are tied to the ward desks, doing/completing paperwork, so that the trust can fulfill its obligations to the number crunchers and meet government targets, to ensure that the hospital gets it funding. The salary for these posts is around £12,000 per year, as against a qualified nurse, who's starting salary is usually around £16,- 18000.

Now the rights and wrongs of what Auxiliaries do or Nurses don't are neither here nor there, the point I wish to get over is that they provide a front line service, for not a lot in regards pay!

I am not surprised that the chancellor (robbing bastard) gordon brown has stated that Nurses pay should be kept to below inflation rates, what does surprise me is his total stupidity in expecting people to swallow this line. Every time it comes to people that do real jobs, that the country really needs, they want to cut salaries, pay less than inflation rises. Yet they have the audacity to ask that they themselves receive a whopping 66% pay rise, now if that is not hypocrisy then I don't know what is. He (Gordo) has asked the Nurses to accept a 2% pay rise, 1.5% in April and 1% in November, giving a total of 1.9%. Notwithstanding that the staggered payment mean the government saves about 200 million pounds.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said "she appreciated nurses would be "disappointed" by the staggered increases but said their rise would amount to 4.4% once annual progression increases were included." But its still way fucking short of the 66% they want for themselves!!Now let me explain a bit about these progression increases.

You start a job on the lowest point on a scale, for arguments sake 10,000, then over a period usually 5 years, you reach the top of the scale, 12,000, this is to recognise the increase in knowledge and experience that you have gained. It works the same in the silly service, as you gain more experience you move up an increment annually. This is a proven method and believe it or not it actually works, most Government and local government/councils/colleges etc use the concept.

Now Pat Hewitt is saying that the Increments are now apart of your rise, (this argument was last used by employers who told staff that as they were on 5.00 per hour, and the minimum wage was now 5.35 per hour, that was their annual cost of living increase.) What Pat Hewitt fails to realise is, that once you are on the top of your scale, you get no further increase/increment, so for those staff, who with all the job losses etc, are more likely to be at the top of scale, are actually getting a pay cut. As over inflation rate rises of Utility bills, council tax and cost of food etc have all increased by 4.4%.

I believe that if the Politicians are entitled to a 66% pay rise, then so should everybody! If a 2% pay rise is acceptable to Nursing staff then it is also acceptable for the Politicians! Plus don't forget only as a Politician do you get your salary plus £131,000 for expenses!!!