HEALTH workers pressed the Prime Minister today to end their long wait for a proper pay rise, as anger continues over the Tory government’s recommendation of a real-terms cut.

Unison staged a protest in Westminster today over the proposed 1 per cent rise, as thousands of health workers await Boris Johnson’s imminent decision on the matter.

NHS staff were due a pay rise in April, but ministers said that they would await the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body, which is expected to deliver its report within days.

Unison said it had been 300 days since it wrote to Mr Johnson asking for a £2,000 increase for every NHS worker.

General secretary Christina McAnea said: “All along Boris Johnson has had it within his gift to reward NHS staff, but he’s chosen not to, preferring to use the Pay Review Body process as an excuse for delay.

“Further time-wasting runs the risk that more health workers will leave. With the huge backlog of treatments and operations looming over the NHS, that would be disastrous for everyone.”

The calls came alongside pressure on SNP ministers, as nurses announced a formal trade dispute with the Scottish government for the first time in their history.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) formally notified employers of the dispute today after a single-year pay deal was imposed without further discussion on members’ rejection of the offer. 

Earlier this year, nurses in Scotland were awarded a 4 per cent pay rise despite calls from the RCN for a rise of 12.5 per cent.

RCN Scotland chairwoman Julie Lamberth said that members have serious concerns over recruitment and retention in nursing and the consequent impact on patient care.

“The Scottish government has relied on the goodwill of nursing staff for too long,” she said.

“Every patient needs and deserves the best quality of care; this can only be safely achieved with the right number of nursing staff with the right skills and expertise.

“We are sending a clear message that the time to value nursing as a safety-critical profession is now.”

The calls were backed by Scottish Labour, whose health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said that Covid-19 has been an opportunity to give nurses the recognition they deserve after decades of underappreciation.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said that the notification of the dispute was disappointing but that he looked forward to further engagement with the RCN.

He said that the Scottish pay rise offer was much higher than the current proposal from Westminster, and that it represents the biggest uplift in more than 20 years.