AROUND 100 frontline and key workers took to Glasgow Green yesterday afternoon to reject a 4% pay rise. 

With pickets, banners and microphones in hand, NHS nurses called on the Scottish and UK Governments to "pay up". 

One of the organisers, Brenda Eadie, believes that the rise will make a proportion of workers worse off. 

Glasgow Times:

Glasgow Times:

The charge nurse said: “We gathered to reject the 4%. There are so many reasons why we are rejecting it.

“In real terms, there has been so many percentages thrown about which does not really show people what they have lost over the years.

“Just over a decade or so the NHS workers have lost £6000 in their wages because the rises did not meet inflation.

“If you look at inflation, we’ve actually lost around 15% of our wages. They are offering us back 4% of that.

“In reality, we have not had a pay rise in about 11 years. I think when people see the numbers, they can’t believe that is what they have lost.

“If you are a nurse in training when you qualify the 4% rise will actually force you to move into a new tax bracket which will make you worse off."

Glasgow Times:

Glasgow Times:

She added: “Why would anyone want to go into a job which will make them worse off? The wards are already short-staffed as it is."

In March, more than 154,000 NHS Scotland staff were offered a pay rise of at least 4% in a deal from the Scottish Government.

Staff on pay bands one to seven would receive at least a 4% pay rise compared with 2020/21, with workers earning less than £25,000 in 2020/21 guaranteed a minimum increase of more than £1000 in 2021/22.

Glasgow Times:

Brenda said: “A pay rise donation won’t make a difference to us. We want a pay restoration in reflection of inflation and we want our NHS and jobs saved. It is devastating to see parts of the service being sold off down south.

“It doesn’t matter who gets power in the election, they need to properly fund and pay for the NHS and stop giving us crumbs.

“They need to save the service or they will be killing off the country.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Government declined to comment.