SOCIALISTS PLEDGE TO END LOW PAY IN THE HEALTH SERVICE

Tommy Sheridan, SSP MSP and National Convenor, today addressed the Royal College of Nurses Annual Conference in Edinburgh and pledged to end low pay across the health service, reintroduce a living wage for student nurses to increase recruitment and retention, and raise the salary of existing nurses by at least the 13% MSPs voted to award themselves last year.

Tommy said,

“The introduction of a public sector minimum wage of £7.32 an hour and a 35-hour-week would eradicate low pay in the health service and improve working conditions. It would also create 24,000 new jobs - all for £450 million: just 3% of the Scottish Parliament’s budget and significantly less than the last two years’ underspend totals of £643 million and £718 million respectively.”

Tommy further added,

“By winding up Scottish Enterprise, £450 million becomes available to eradicate low pay in the public sector. The introduction of a £15,000 per annum salary for student nurses would cost only £70 million a year in net terms and lead to greater recruitment and retention of nursing students. A 13% increase in current salaries of existing nursing staff would match that awarded to MSPs whose contribution to society is a lot less valuable than Scotland’s 43,000 registered nurses within our health service.”[ends]

For more information, contact Tommy Sheridan on 07887 795075 or Hugh Kerr on 0131 348 5631/07713 063647