Fife nurses join Scotland-wide protest over pay

Nurses from Fife joined a weekend protest over pay.

They travelled to Edinburgh to join the demo outside the Scottish Parliament.

The action formed part of the “NHS Workers Say No” campaign in response to a UK Government pay rise which organisers said excluded may healthcare workers.

In Scotland, NHS medical and dental workers, GPs and general dental practitioners will get a 2.7% pay rise, backdated to 1 April.

But that didn’t included nurses who agreed a separate three-year deal in 2018.

Fife health staff made the journey across the Forth to ensure their voice was heard.

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One said: “The Government told everyone to stay at home, but, we had no choice, along with other low paid key workers - we went to work . We were scared for ourselves and our families .”

They said the demo was a chance to say “enough is enough -we want a fair pay”

The gathering also remembered the 46,000-plus people who have died during the pandemic - a toll which includes some 540 health care workers.

A second Fife health worker added: “I’ve worked for the NHS for 37 years and have been at the top of my increment grade for the last 25 years.

“My pay slip is the same monthly income as it was 10 years ago, mainly due to changes and increases in our superannuation pension scheme -: effectively I’ve not had a pay rise ‘

A Scottish Government spokesman said nurses north of the border got a 2.95% pay rise as part of its three-year NHS Agenda for Change pay deal.

With the agreement now into its last year, it is working with NHS unions to agree a timetable to secure a new pay deal for 2021-22.

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