Walsall MPs in war of words over pay for nurses
A row over nurses’ pay has erupted between two town MPs after one said they aren’t any worse off than other constituents.
Walsall South MP Valerie Vaz has said that comments from Walsall North MP Eddie Hughes comparing the pay nurses receive to that of hairdressers, plumbers and carpenters ‘echo the government’s contempt for our NHS workers’.
Tory Mr Hughes said public sector workers already have a good deal when compared to people in his constituency working in those professions during a discussion over the public sector pay cap, claiming he wanted to ‘bring some context’ to the argument. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “I completely welcome the hard work that is done by NHS staff up and down the country, but please let me bring some context to the debate.
“The average income in my constituency is £440 a week, which is approximately £23,000 a year. I intend to advocate on behalf of all my constituents, not just those who work in the public sector. The average salary in my constituency is £23,000, which is about the same as a qualified nurse starts on.
“Many workers in my constituency are employed as hairdressers, plumbers or carpenters, and what pay rise do they get? They have had to work hard every year for their pay, and when we make the comparison using other factors, such as pension schemes, we see that in order to earn the same sort of pension a plumber would need to be putting away 43 per cent of their salary. Yes, we value the public sector in this country, but the Conservatives value all the workers in this country.”
Valerie Vaz said: “Eddie Hughes’ comments echo this Conservative Government’s contempt for our NHS workers. Nurses are being forced to use foodbanks to make ends meet and NHS
“Even if you work hard and become more skilled and experienced, your pay is capped, that is not the case in the private sector. Nurses face a £2,500 real terms pay cut by 2020.
Mike Adams, regional director of the Royal College of Nursing in the West Midlands, said: “They deserve nothing less than fair pay. As it is, we know many nurses work over their hours without pay as a result of staying on after the scheduled end of their shift or working through their breaks to ensure patients are well cared-for.”
