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On Workers’ Memorial Day, we stand with NHS workers
Denigration of health workers harms the NHS. Their dedication and hard work during the pandemic deserves fair reward, writes HELEN O’CONNOR
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ON Workers’ Memorial Day it is important to reflect on and acknowledge the enormous contribution NHS workers have made during the pandemic.
So many lives have been saved by NHS staff at the expense of their own health and wellbeing and there can be little doubt the death toll would be far higher but for their efforts.
Failures at all levels during the pandemic have contributed to almost 1,000 NHS staff dying across all sections of the workforce.
Now is the time to remember these workers because dying in the line of duty is not uncommon, and deaths of NHS staff must never be accepted as the norm.
The reality is that personal protective equipment (PPE) is not of a standard that fully protects NHS staff from Covid-19 and it is simply staggering that this issue is not being taken seriously by the government.
The government is ignoring trade unions on the issue and this reveals the need to build trade union strength in the NHS if we are to be effective in taking on and defeating this Tory government.
For decades NHS workers have been deliberately mistreated by a cuts and privatisation strategy that is demoralising them and forcing them out of the NHS for good.
The majority of the experienced NHS staff who are the ones leading the efforts to deliver excellent and safe patient care have seen their wages, terms and conditions plummet and this is why they are leaving the NHS.
Not only is the growing recruitment crisis dangerous for patients, it is leading to the failure of services which are then either removed or privatised.
No serious efforts have ever been made to tackle the 100,000 NHS vacancy rate because the political will isn’t there to do it.
The recruitment crisis is set to get even worse because many more skilled staff will leave the NHS due to horrendous pandemic working conditions.
How workers are treated goes right to the heart of what we value as a society.
The free, high-quality healthcare routinely delivered by our NHS staff is the envy of every country in the world and we will miss it when it’s gone and we are forced to pay.
This is why the wages, terms and conditions of NHS workers are so important for all of us because the correct pay, working conditions and opportunities for advancement and development are crucial for recruitment and retention in the NHS.
We are in a situation where a third of all student nurses drop out of training and newly qualified nursing staff have left within five years. This situation is unsustainable and it will destroy the NHS.
The demand for a restorative 15 per cent pay rise across the NHS has sprung from new younger NHS workers moving into activity in their trade unions and communities.
The war-like conditions endured by NHS staff during the pandemic have changed them and increasing numbers are questioning the way they are being treated.
They are recognising their own worth and shedding the old ideas that NHS staff need to be martyrs in order to deliver good care.
They are raising demands because many are recognising that excellent patient care starts with NHS workers being treated in a fair and decent way, which must be reflected in pay, terms and conditions. As they say themselves, “Claps don’t pay the bills.”
On Workers’ Memorial Day the public and patients must commit ourselves to stand with NHS staff to ensure that they get the pay they need and deserve because the future of our NHS depends on it.
Helen O’Connor is GMB Southern Region organiser.
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