One in four public sector key workers in Wiltshire considering quitting
The trade union say it's down to a number of factors
Nearly a quarter of key workers in the public sector in Wiltshire say they are "actively considering" quitting and changing profession.
That's according to South West Trades Union Congress, following a poll conducted by YouGov.
They say there is serious disillusionment among key workers in the public sector – with feeling undervalued, low pay and an excessive workload the most common reasons cited by workers for wanting to quit.
Before the pandemic, there were 100,000 vacancies in the NHS and more than 112,000 in social care.
The union body says that these unfilled vacancies, on top of a decade of underfunding, has left public services “cut down to the bone”, placing huge amounts of pressure on public sector workers.
The government’s three per cent pay rise to NHS staff has been rejected as insufficient by large majorities of public sector workers in union ballots.
There's 32,000 people in Wiltshire working in the public sector.
The TUC says a pay rise for public sector key workers is long overdue as many jobs have seen their wages decrease since 2010.
In the NHS:
• Paramedic pay is down by £3,194
• Nurse pay is down £2,469
• Porter pay is down £771
In local government:
• Care worker pay is down £1,490
• Refuse collector pay is down £1,519
Other public sector key workers:
• Firefighter pay is down £2,579
• Teacher pay is down £2,003
South West TUC Regional Secretary Nigel Costley said:
“Everyone deserves fair pay and dignity at work. But too many key workers in the public sector are at breaking point because of a toxic mix of low pay, excessive workloads and a serious lack of recognition.
“These are the nurses, care workers, and teachers that helped keep the country going through the pandemic.
“After years of our key workers being underpaid and our public services underfunded, this pandemic has to be a turning point.
“Enough is enough. Ministers must use the autumn spending review to end the public sector pay freeze and give all public sector workers a pay rise. And they must properly fund our public services too.”
The TUC is calling on the government to urgently prioritise key worker pay and public services funding in the forthcoming spending review.