§ Mr. Bob Cryer (Keighley)Mr. Speaker, I have much pleasure in presenting this petition. Well over 18,000 signatures are attached to it, mostly from nurses but supported by doctors and other National Health Service staff, patients and members of the public. The petition has been organised by nurses working at Airedale general hospital in my constituency who are members of the Royal College of Nursing and they are supported by nurses of other trade union organisations.
They share a common disgust at the 4 per cent. pay limit imposed by the Government. Their pay claim is 12 per cent., which only keeps up with inflation. Lack of response by the management side has made nurses more than ever determined to seek a just pay award, as the petition reflects. They point out that a student nurse in the first year receives £3,290 per annum while a first-year police constable receives £5,610 per annum. Nurses do a valuable, deeply appreciated job and wish to concentrate their energies on the job instead of fighting what they regard as a hard-hearted and uncaring Government who are trying to erode the jewel in the crown of our public service—the National Health Service.
The petition states
That Her Majesty's Ministers have made various pledges to nurses working in the National Health Service, and that to honour these pledges Her Majesty's Government should give nurses special consideration in respect of pay for the financial year 1982–83, and further set up a mechanism by April 1982 to ensure that the pay of nurses will be maintained at a satisfactory level in the future.Your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House will ensure that the Government honour the pledges which it has made to bring nurses' pay up to a satisfactory level, and to maintain it in the future.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray &c.I beg leave to present the petition.
To lie upon the Table.