Pay should be the priority for health and social care tax

GMB tells Scottish Government: Pay should be the priority for health and social care tax

Ahead of this evening’s (Wednesday 8 September) House of Commons vote over the UK Government’s health and social care tax plan, and the prospect of the Scottish Government receiving a reported £1.1 billion consequential, GMB Scotland Secretary Louise Gilmour said:

“Any monies coming to Scotland from the UK Government’s health and social care tax should be prioritised into the pay of our hard-pressed health and social care workforces.

“If proposals are passed in the Commons today, Scotland will have additional and significant funding to tackle years of exploitative working conditions and an understaffing crisis.

“It would create an open-goal opportunity for Holyrood to substantially increase workers’ pay and transform our health and social care sectors for the benefit of everyone.

“For GMB that means a £15 an hour minimum in social care and continuing to restore the value of pay for NHS staff after a decade of cuts.”

ENDS

Contact: GMB Scotland Communications on 07976 447077.