Challenging Brown Over Public Sector Pay
Today I have written to Gordon Brown to warn him of dire political consequences if the Government follows through on its threat to impose a pay cut on over a million NHS workers.
In their evidence to the Pay Review Body that sets NHS staff pay, the Government have sought to impose an increase of just 1.5%. NHS staff unions have rightly pointed out that with inflation pushing on towards 4% the Government's position represents a significant pay cut for health care staff.
This is madness. The Government seems to have launched itself on an electoral suicide mission. We appear to be sleepwalking into a winter and spring of discontent with possible industrial action being provoked right across the public sector early in the New Year, just before the local, Scottish and Welsh elections.
Polls this week show that Labour's rating is at its lowest in over 20 years. They also show that the public and NHS staff are furious with the Government's cuts and privatisation policies which are ripping through our health care and other essential public services.
Imposing a pay cut on health care workers and across the public sector next year will fuel the anger amongst NHS staff and other public servants who already feel betrayed by the Government. Telling them that they either accept a pay cut or risk more redundancies and service cuts smacks of bullying to me and will do nothing but alienate hundreds of thousands of core Labour supporters.
My letter to Gordon Brown reads as follows:
Dear Gordon,
I am writing to express my concern regarding the Government’s proposal of a pay award of just 1.5% across the public sector and with particular regard to workers in the NHS and civil service. With inflation nearing 4% (as set out in evidence given to the Pay Review Body), this can only be construed as a pay cut for millions of workers, adding fuel to the growing concern of NHS Staff Unions, civil servants, public sector workers and the general public over this government’s handling of public services.
As I am sure you will agree, public sector workers have very demanding jobs and work hard to provide high quality public services. The imposition of such a pay cut will have a highly detrimental effect on the morale of these dedicated public servants and instead of rewarding them for their professionalism and expertise undermines their work, achievement and potential. Combined with the Government’s ongoing plans to introduce the private sector into the NHS and other public services, such a policy critically threatens the quality of health and public services we are able to provide.
Additionally, in a period when, as I am sure you are only too well aware, it is essential that the Government reconnects with our core supporters, the provision of publicly funded and efficient public services is a key priority for our members, supporters and the electorate in general. The polls this week suggest that the party’s rating is at its lowest level in over 20 years. This programme of public sector cuts is already causing considerable anger throughout the movement and can only alienate hundreds of thousands more of our natural supporters.
Many now fear that the Government seems to have launched itself on an electoral suicide mission in advance of the local, Scottish and Welsh elections. The Government appears to be sleepwalking into a spring of discontent with possible industrial action being provoked across the public sector early in the New Year. I urgently appeal to you to fully reconsider these plans before any further resentment is allowed to grow, and the party and Government are seriously damaged as a result.
Yours sincerely
John McDonnell MP
Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington
In their evidence to the Pay Review Body that sets NHS staff pay, the Government have sought to impose an increase of just 1.5%. NHS staff unions have rightly pointed out that with inflation pushing on towards 4% the Government's position represents a significant pay cut for health care staff.
This is madness. The Government seems to have launched itself on an electoral suicide mission. We appear to be sleepwalking into a winter and spring of discontent with possible industrial action being provoked right across the public sector early in the New Year, just before the local, Scottish and Welsh elections.
Polls this week show that Labour's rating is at its lowest in over 20 years. They also show that the public and NHS staff are furious with the Government's cuts and privatisation policies which are ripping through our health care and other essential public services.
Imposing a pay cut on health care workers and across the public sector next year will fuel the anger amongst NHS staff and other public servants who already feel betrayed by the Government. Telling them that they either accept a pay cut or risk more redundancies and service cuts smacks of bullying to me and will do nothing but alienate hundreds of thousands of core Labour supporters.
My letter to Gordon Brown reads as follows:
Dear Gordon,
I am writing to express my concern regarding the Government’s proposal of a pay award of just 1.5% across the public sector and with particular regard to workers in the NHS and civil service. With inflation nearing 4% (as set out in evidence given to the Pay Review Body), this can only be construed as a pay cut for millions of workers, adding fuel to the growing concern of NHS Staff Unions, civil servants, public sector workers and the general public over this government’s handling of public services.
As I am sure you will agree, public sector workers have very demanding jobs and work hard to provide high quality public services. The imposition of such a pay cut will have a highly detrimental effect on the morale of these dedicated public servants and instead of rewarding them for their professionalism and expertise undermines their work, achievement and potential. Combined with the Government’s ongoing plans to introduce the private sector into the NHS and other public services, such a policy critically threatens the quality of health and public services we are able to provide.
Additionally, in a period when, as I am sure you are only too well aware, it is essential that the Government reconnects with our core supporters, the provision of publicly funded and efficient public services is a key priority for our members, supporters and the electorate in general. The polls this week suggest that the party’s rating is at its lowest level in over 20 years. This programme of public sector cuts is already causing considerable anger throughout the movement and can only alienate hundreds of thousands more of our natural supporters.
Many now fear that the Government seems to have launched itself on an electoral suicide mission in advance of the local, Scottish and Welsh elections. The Government appears to be sleepwalking into a spring of discontent with possible industrial action being provoked across the public sector early in the New Year. I urgently appeal to you to fully reconsider these plans before any further resentment is allowed to grow, and the party and Government are seriously damaged as a result.
Yours sincerely
John McDonnell MP
Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington
posted by John at 8:02 PM
3 Comments:
I agree, also the issue of pay in the Civil Service where many workers in some departments have not yet had their pay awards finalised for this year.
These awards may not even be in place by spring of next year.
The government must start to treat its own employees better and stop damaging the prospects of a fourth Labour term.
two family members visted me today who are both anaethetists in Nottingham. They are well aware of the NHS cuts seeing them first hand at work and being aware of the local deficits etc so I filled them in on our oppositon through Keep Our NHS Public and this campaign as they didn't know the finer points of these but what struck me was the amount that they knew about all the cuts in the NHS, they quoted loads of examples, of course they will know and they can read the papers on it but they didn't know that Brown's policies were the same as Blair's until I pointed out that he was the architect of all the privtisations and held the purse strings. I just felt that if they were representative of doctors etc in general then God help Blair at the next election, as John says he as alienated most of the public sector far more than they realise, and they probably think that doctors etc are still part of "middle England" as they are the sort of people who voted him in, young professionals who are now reaching consultant level but were just starting their careers when he won. I know this is all a massive generalisation but what I mean is that these are people who are genrally not more than averagely aware of politics but now they are right in the thick of it as they see it's effects in their daily work and crucially will be forced to make medical decisions they don't want to make. Already in my area as we are losing Wycombe A and E an ambulance is supposed to take you to Stoke Mandeville (miles away up dodgy roads in bad condition, badly lit etc and even worse public transport (it would take me three buses to get there no fun with kids in tow) so they take patients out of the county to for example to Wexham Park in Slough... people are going to die in ambulances travelling this far e.g. to reach and intensive care cot...local protests have already raised all these points of course but the bottom line is that as John articulates this policy won't work will risk lives and is political suicide. "Why is Blair doing this?" ask my relations " It's a scorched earth policy that will take years to undo" I reply, it's completely different from when he took power, his ideas are way out of date and unworkable, I explain that PFI is not the only way and so on and they understand. Iraq will bring him down anyway of course I point out but the NHS cuts are really Blair's poll tax I can see it now by the way that people who are normally pretty unpolitical especially between elections are well aware of THIS issue just as the whole country was affected by the poll tax. The fightback (verbal!) is going country wide now.
Yes, Helen, I think the NHS cuts will turn out to be Blair's poll tax. It is a phrase I have heard before and it has a punchy, soundbite ring to it. Let's try and get it into conversations as much as possible.
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