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Furious health workers demonstrated outside Bristol Royal Infirmary yesterday against the government's refusal to grant a 1 per cent pay increase across the board.
Health union Unite organised the rally due to concern that pay freezes were part of a campaign to privatise the NHS.
Last week's announcement on pay from Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt meant that only those at the top of their pay band will receive the 1 per cent increase - against the advice of the Pay review body.
With 121,000 vacancies and 44.8% of staff feeling unwell from work stress, the NHS 10-year plan will not succeed unless the government takes immediate action to retain existing staff, writes ANNETTE MANSELL-GREEN
Government urged ‘to tackle the root causes’ of the NHS crisis and improve ‘social care services’
Unions slam use of review bodies and long-term decline in value of wages