Survey shows increasing number of health professionals applying to food banks
A key issue at this year’s Trades Union Congress (10-13 September, Brighton Centre) will be the erosion of pay, particularly jn the NHS where staff such as radiographers have seen their salaries decrease in value by 14 per cent since 2010.
The Society of Radiographers are responding to a recent report compiled for the Office for Manpower Statistics (OMS) which found that their members who work in the NHS have “experienced a big decline in median real gross hourly earnings.”
The report acknowledges that the decline is actual and not only when measured against the growth in prices over the past seven years.
“We will be campaigning at the TUC for an increase for NHS employees that not only matches inflation but goes beyond this to begin making up the real terms cut,” Richard Evans, the Society’s chief executive officer said.
“The OMS conclusions are backed-up by a financial wellbeing survey of our 18,000 members who work in the NHS which shows that the one per cent annual pay cap is causing real hardship for some practitioners,” Mr Evans continued.
“Radiographers applying for help from foodbanks has risen by 50 per cent in the past year.
“If public sector pay restraint continues at least until 2020, as the government has promised, many of our member’s incomes will fall below the national average.”
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Notes to editors:
For further information please contact Dominic Deeson on 0795 784 5238, or by email.