LSULabS show their support for the NHS Strike 

 

According to Jeremy Hunt it would ‘cost too much’ to allow for health workers to have a 1% pay rise. As a result of this, on Monday 13th October, 40,000 nurses, paramedics, midwives, porters and office workers walked out from 7am for three hours. The strike action has been labelled ‘controversial’ (Daily Mail), ‘potentially disruptive’ (BBC News) and ‘causing chaos’ (Telegraph) and with these brands, workers of the NHS have been demonized and vilified without being given fair opportunity to voice their side of the story. The cost of living has risen significantly over the last five years and the majority of public sector workers have received a mere 1% rise in pay. This is simply not enough. In the last ten years alone there has been an 18% birth rate increase; this has created demand for both the training of midwives but also for the staff from behind the scenes. Consider the hospital porter who wheeled the trolley and the receptionist on the desk on arrival. It is insulting for the Health Department to dictate that it is too much money to increase health workers wages 1%. It is insulting to put a price on the average 48 hours a week payment for the life-saving and miraculous jobs that these people do. We support them by enjoying television programmes such as ’24 Hours in A&E’ and ‘One Born Every Minute’, but it is remarkable how many of us have sat back and had the gumption to complain about them upholding their right to protest about their basic right. Later this week, staff will protest further by actually having their breaks and refusing to work overtime. And to add insult to injury, senior Tory members only today have admitted that the reorganisation of the NHS was an error. Perhaps it’s time that instead of people criticizing those who are there when we need them most, and stop bullying them when they rarely make a stand, we support them and accept that without workers, there is no NHS.

               Harriet Stocker 

                LSULabS Women's Officer