A Brighton nurse turned Tory MP has urged the government to put a stop to the pay cap on public sector jobs, in a speech at the House of Commons.
The Conservation MP for Lewes, Maria Caulfield, is calling for the pay cap to be lifted for not just nurses, but all public sector workers.
As someone who previously worked as a nurse in the public sector, the issue is clearly challenging for Caulfield. She said: “As someone who worked as a nurse during the pay cap and pay freeze can I just say how difficult that is as a public sector worker and as a nurse.”
But the pay cap isn’t the only issue at stake according to the Lewes MP who has argued that there are problems with the pay structure itself: “Under Labour, when they introduced the ‘Agenda for Change’ system, they created an increment system where actually people were waiting five, six or seven years before they actually get the pay they deserve.”
According to Caulfield the pay system is not working in hospitals as it offers individual trusts the opportunity to downgrade people.