An NHS pay bus tour of the East of England gets under way today departing from Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.
NHS workers’ union UNISON has commissioned the open-top bus to visit hospitals across the East of England, visiting Chelmsford and Braintree today (Wednesday), returning to Essex for its final stop in Colchester on 22 July.
The tour is part of UNISON’s campaign for a £2,000 pay rise for all NHS staff.
They were supposed to get a rise in April but workers are still waiting to see what increase the independent pay review body will recommend.
UNISON is calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deliver a swift rise to give the NHS the boost it needs after 16 months fighting Covid-19.
UNISON Eastern head of health Sasha Savage said: “NHS staff have given their all over the past year and a half but haven’t had any increase in pay for almost the entire pandemic.
“We’ve all seen the gratitude the public has shown to the NHS and its staff through Covid, but it’s time for ministers to move beyond empty rhetoric and give staff a proper pay rise.
“We’ll be getting out and talking to NHS staff about why they deserve a pay rise and why it’s up to Boris Johnson to give them one.”
