Firstly, I completely agree with "Political parties are not football teams who deserve unwavering loyalty" and this needs to be remembered moreIt’s not “selfish” at all . It’s merely looking at it from a different perspective to you . For the record , my vote changes according to the most appealing at the time . I have voted both Labour or conservative in the past . Political parties are not football teams who deserve unwavering loyalty
I can certainly see the justification if it results in better working conditions for the nurses , but just raising their wages to their demands is just trying a simple fix to a complex issue. We’re entering recession now, cost of living is going up and any increase in wages is going to be costed to the taxpayer as they’re public sector workers . Telling lower earning people that their nic contributions must go up to account for an entry level role that is already paying near the average uk salary already isn’t ethical either
I can understand if they want to ease working conditions and that is entirely justifiable if the work load is mental . I’ve dealt with that myself . Op was trying to make out that 27k is ridiculous for a starting wage though . I happen to disagree
But everything after that... you have actual nurses (and spouses of nurses) in this thread telling you that the progression is limited and hard to achieve. Just because your mum used to be a nurse doesn't mean that it is the same nowadays. And you're right, we're entering recession and the cost of living is going up - why shouldn't nurses get a pay rise? (especially after years of effective pay cuts).
They get screwed over because the government play on conscience because if they strike then it affects health outcomes for patients and the nurses won't want that. I dare say that there will be deaths as a result of this strike, but the weight of that should be on the government not the nurses. Unfortunately, the nurses will take the brunt of it on the front-lines from (rightfully) angry and distressed family members, and from the media.
"Telling lower earning people that their nic contributions must go up" - why do tax increases always target the lower earners, and tax cuts always target the higher earners?
I also think the above is largely true for Teachers (starting salary £28k) and a lot of other public sector workers. Over worked, and under paid. You could argue they are adequately paid, if their workload is reduced to more sustainable levels - but to do that you have to recruit people into a career that is now tarred with all of the above. The only way to do that is to raise wages and improve conditions. You reap what you sow, and this is just the inevitable outcome of what the government has implemented over the years