Holly Johnston is an organiser with the ‘NHS Workers Say No!’ campaign, a nurse, a GMB union rep, and a member of the Socialist Party.
Today all NHS staff, like all workers, are squeezed by the spiralling cost-of-living crisis, on top of seeing their wages decline in real terms by 20% since 2010. The latest pay ‘offer’ from the Tories is far below what is needed.
Significantly, the Tories are refusing to confirm that any pay ‘rise’ will be backed by increased funding, posing further huge cuts to come. So, many NHS workers, like myself, are campaigning to reject what’s been offered.
On top of being underpaid, a substantial NHS gender pay gap exists, with women receiving an average of 30% less than men. Women, particularly black women, are more likely to be on zero-hour contracts, to be outsourced and work for private companies. The NHS, like so many jobs, has become increasingly inflexible for parents.
The 1982 health service strike over pay involved the largest employer in the whole of Europe, challenged new anti-trade union legislation, gained mass public support, and was backed by solidarity action from across the workers’ movement.
Like now, nurses found themselves striking, as their pay was eroded. Inflation and limited public sector pay increases left nurses’ pay lagging behind.
Nursing in the 1980s was treated by the capitalist establishment as a ‘second income’. Bosses leaned on sexist stereotypes to try to keep wages down. The majority of nurses were women, and the main income for most families was provided by men.
However, nearly one third of nurses were single. And, like today, one wage wasn’t enough to sustain one person, never mind a family.
Gender stereotypes around ‘devotion’ and ‘self-sacrifice’ are carried through to today. This government doesn’t care for carers – whether in healthcare, care homes, carers in the community, or carers of children and other family members.
77% of NHS workers are women. We do the job because we care. But that doesn’t mean that the qualities required to do a certain job should be used to exploit us.
Gender discrimination does play a part. Roles such as care work or teaching fall subject to gender stereotypes too.
The notion of the ‘caring vocation’ takes away from the complex skills that health workers possess, and it devalues the emotional labour required to do the job. Sexism positions us to take on more than we should. But all NHS workers are standing up to attacks on the NHS.
The gender pay gap, sexism and inequality are perpetuated by the capitalist system based on profit. It’s no wonder that working-class women are fighting back in their workplaces, and are at the forefront of public sector strikes. We need to win inflation-proof pay rises.
Women have a key role in fighting back against the oppression and inequality that exist in capitalism. We need to unite as the working class to fight for a new socialist society.
