WORKERS have reacted with rage as the government has snubbed nurses, health care workers and binmen for a public sector pay rise.

Reflecting the contributions public sector workers have made of combating the coronavirus pandemic, around 900,000 of 4.4 million workers will be given a pay rise.

Among those who will see extra money in their pay packet include doctors, teachers, dentists, binmen and police officers - Chancellor Rishi Sunak has confirmed.

Worcester News readers are outraged that other key workers who have fought on the front line against coronavirus are not included to receive a pay rise. 

Natasha Newbold, who works in a nursing home in Bromsgrove, said she has put her family at risk whilst working during the pandemic.

The 34-year-old said: “Oh look, nothing for health care workers who have worked on the front line all the way through this Covid. 

“We are actually worth nothing to anyone.

“We have all worked through Covid and we had it in our home. It was pretty bad.

“I’ve put my family at risk. It’s been the hardest time these past few months.

“I think we deserve something as we never get acknowledged for the hard work we do.

“We had staff get the virus and people have actually been scared and nervous to come into work, but we all put it aside for our residents who needed us more than ever.”

Jude Rhodes added: “So us nurses on the front line working amongst positive Covid cases, lots of us getting Covid and lots sadly losing their lives, we don’t actually matter! 

“Makes the Thursday clapping irrelevant.”

Worcester MP Robin Walker said the reason why nurses were not included in the pay rise announcement is that they already benefit from a three-year pay deal worth 6.5% which was struck in 2018. 

Mr Walker said: “I am delighted that the pay rises announced today will benefit almost 900,000 public sector workers including many who work for the NHS, Police Officers and teachers and the armed forces. 

“The reason why nurses were not include in today’s announcement is that they already benefit from the 3 year Agenda for Change deal struck in 2018 which means they are getting above inflation pay rises over each of those three years up to 20/21. 

“The starting salary of a newly qualified nurse will have risen 12 per cent since 2017/18. Nurses who are still moving up the pay structures will receive an average increase of 4.4% this year.”

Mr Walker added: “Council workers receive their pay from councils and the Government is providing vital additional funds to all councils to help them with the costs and recovery process from Covid. 

“Councils are being provided with an additional £3.7bn in resource funding to use as they see fit and a further £600 million for social care.”

Bryony Baynes, headteacher from Kempsey Primary School, said the announcement has “made her blood boil.”

She said schools will have to fund the pay rise from their “already straining budgets.”

Mrs Baynes said: “The Support Staff pay rise of 2.75% has been locked in arguments since 1st April when they should have received it.  When it is eventually approved, it will be backdated, of course, unlike the teaching one, but why is it taking so long to be agreed?

“Why is a teacher worth 3% pay rise and support staff worth 2.75% when the support staff are paid so abysmally already?  And I’m not saying teachers don’t deserve it; they deserve 3% and more but so do the support staff.

“If Mr Sunak is so grateful to us, then why isn’t the pay rise backdated to April for teachers, or, even better, to the start of the pandemic?

“Most crucially of all is the fact that both these pay rises are unfunded by the government so we will have to find the money out of our already straining budgets. For my school that means we have to find about £23k.  

“When the support staff pay rise is awarded eventually, that will be at least another £10+k.  None of this money will be given to us.  

“So, I will have to find the money from other areas of my budget, potentially, money that could have been spent on books, play equipment, building repairs.  

“Now, luckily, our Trust has a very canny and clever Chief Finance Officer who has seen the way the wind is blowing and who budgeted for this unfunded pay rise but other schools may not be so lucky to have that built in and, consequently, it could push their budgets into a deficit.  

“As it is, I have had to make some very difficult decisions in planning my budget for this year.

“I cannot stress enough that it is all very well making these gestures to public sector workers such as teachers, but if it is not followed up with the wherewithal to fund the gestures then they count for nothing.  

“Schools need money direct into their budgets to pay both teachers and support staff more without taking money away from the children’s needs.”

Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and director general of the Royal College of Nursing said: “Nursing staff have witnessed great public support and now need to feel the same from government. Telling them to wait until next year is not acceptable - nursing staff deserve a fair pay rise now.

“The RCN, along with 13 other health unions, wrote to ministers several weeks ago asking for discussions on a fully-funded pay rise for NHS staff. The government needs to initiate that conversation without delay and conduct it on the basis of facts.

"In this year, of all years, it is time to value these professionals and begin to fill the tens of thousands of vacant posts."

GMB, Britain’s general union, says the pay rise announcement will affect just 20 per cent of public sector workers in England.

John Phillips, GMB Acting General Secretary, said: “Today's announcement does nothing for the vast majority of public sector workers.

“Low-paid support staff will not see their wages rise, and NHS workers remain stuck on a pay settlement that has meant real-terms cuts for long-serving staff.

“If the Government was serious about recognising the sacrifices made by public sector workers then they'd ensure desperately needed pay rises for all groups.

“Many of our NHS staff, teaching assistants, local authority workers, care workers and civil servants are struggling to pay the bills after a decade of real terms pay cuts.

“Words are hollow without actions.”

Here's a full list of who and how much they'll get:

• Armed Forces - 2%

• Doctors & Dentists - 2.8%

• Judiciary - 2%

• National Crime Agency - 2.5%

• Police Officers - 2.5%

• Prison Officers - 2.5%

• School Teachers - 3.1%

• Senior Civil Servants - 2%

• Senior Military - 2%