Chancellor hits 17,700 NHS heroes and other key workers across Enfield North with a pay cut
New analysis by Labour reveals that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will hit all of our NHS heroes with a real-terms pay cut this year, as well as other key workers who have kept the country going throughout the pandemic.
This includes at least 17,700 key workers in Enfield North – the nurses, teachers, police officers and Armed Forces personnel on the front line of the battle against Covid-19.
On Thursday, the Government revealed that they intend to cut the pay of all NHS staff relative to inflation this year.
This comes after the Chancellor announced a ‘pay freeze’ for all other public sector workers earning above £24,000 in 2021-22. Those earning less than £24,000 were promised “a fixed increase of £250”.
Taking into account inflation over the next fiscal year, that means every non-NHS public sector worker earning over £18,000 will also get a real-terms pay cut.
In Enfield North, this means 1,525 teachers will see their pay cut, as well as 33,571 police officers and over 90% of the 4,430 Armed Forces personnel based in London.
On top of the pay freeze, the Budget also confirmed a one-billion-pound council tax bombshell and a cut to Universal Credit in six months that will hit those who can least afford it.
Labour has condemned this triple hammer blow to people’s pockets as totally irresponsible when the economy is so fragile and is calling on the government to scrap its plans to hit family finances.
Making people worried about making ends meet will pull spending out of local high streets and small businesses, damaging consumer confidence at the very moment the Government should be building it up.
Feryal Clark MP said:
“It’s bad enough that the Tory Government has seen it fit to give our NHS heroes a pitiful 1% pay rise. What makes this even worse is that in 2020 Conservative MPs, led by this Chancellor and Prime Minister, agreed to a 2.1% pay award. It is written in law and they are going back on that promise.
“The Government tries to say it cannot afford the pay increase, yet they are the very same people who thought it was completely acceptable to give Dominic Cummings a 40% pay rise. The priorities of this government are completely wrong. Instead of cutting our public sector during a time of national emergency they should be thanking our brilliant NHS workers.
“Enfield North is a constituency that is built on community. Each and everyone of us will know someone who works in the NHS – be it a nurse, a doctor, a porter or a clerical administrator. These are the people who look after us when we are most vulnerable. The Chancellor has turned round to 17,700 of our friends and family and said their work is not valued. This is shameful.”
Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds said:
“The mask has slipped and we’re now seeing the Conservatives’ true colours. Key workers have kept our country going throughout this crisis, but now Rishi Sunak wants to give millions of them a real-terms pay cut.
“Not only is that poor reward for their hard work, it’s economically irresponsible. If families have less money to spend, then businesses will suffer and the recovery will take longer.
“The Chancellor must think again, and cancel plans to cut Universal Credit, hike council tax and cut pay for nurses, police officers and teachers.