Nurses angered by chancellor’s slur on public sector workers

Abstract

Iconic black nurse Mary Seacole has emerged as a public favourite in the fight to keep women on British banknotes. The Bank of England is under fire after announcing in April that Sir Winston Churchill would replace social reformer Elizabeth Fry on the £5 note from 2016. The move means no woman, other than the Queen, would appear on any banknote. Nearly 30,000 people have now signed a petition demanding a U-turn on the decision, putting Ms Seacole forward as a suitable replacement. Feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez, who started the petition, told Nursing Standard that young women needed female role models on banknotes. She said: ‘Mary Seacole is a great choice because of the huge obstacles she had to surmount.’ n Comedienne and ex-nurse Jo Brand is hosting a ‘Laugh with Mary’ comedy night in aid of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue appeal in Brixton, south London on July 14. To book tickets go to www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/66987 30,000 back seacole as banknote star the nhs’s current practice of giving annual increments only if staff perform to a high standard will be extended to other parts of the public sector. mr osborne confirmed nurses, along with most other public sector workers, would receive no more than a 1 per cent pay rise in 2015/16. in his report spending Round 2013, he wrote: ‘We are reforming pay in the public sector. We are holding down pay awards. and we are working to remove automatic pay rises simply for time served.’ Rcn head of employment relations josie irwin said: ‘the chancellor was quite derogatory in his use of language when speaking about public sector staff. he talked about them wanting an increase in pay because of the time they have served. many nurses work long shifts, often doing extra work in their own time caring for their patients. it is a slur to suggest that anyone working in the public sector is simply marking time.’ mr osborne’s comments come after year-long pay negotiations with unions culminating in changes to agenda for change in april. the changes mean newly qualified nurses now receive one pay rise instead of two in their first year, and incremental pay is only given if nurses can demonstrate they have provided good-quality care.