People have taken to Twitter to express their disappointment and anger after it was revealed the government planned to give NHS staff a 1 per cent pay rise.
The proposed pay rise has been slammed by NHS workers as well as labour leader Sir Keir Starmer who tweeted: "You can't rebuild a country by cutting nurses' pay."
The Royal College of Nursing called the suggested rise "pitiful" and said nurses should be getting 12.5 per cent more.
The pay recommendation was made by the Department of Health in a submission to the independent panel that advises on NHS salaries, the BBC reports.
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The Royal College of Nursing have estimated that the average annual salary of an NHS Nurse in 2021 is £33,384.
The Royal College of Nursing's general secretary, Dame Donna Kinnair, told BBC Breakfast the pay rise would result in an increase of just £3.50 a week in take-home pay for an experienced nurse.
She said: "This is pitiful and bitterly disappointing. The government is dangerously out of touch with nursing staff, NHS workers and the public.
"Nobody would think that is fair in the middle of a pandemic and it will do nothing to prevent the exodus from nursing."
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She called for a 12.5 per cent increase to take into account "the years we haven't had a pay increase".
She warned the Government should expect "backlash from a million NHS workers.
The outrage continued on Twitter, one person shared: "Appalling proposed 1% pay rise. Looks like the UK government really think claps are enough."
Dr Julia Grace Patterson tweeted: "NHS staff have endured so much for so many. They've done this after 11 years of pay freezes and pay cuts. Every single NHS worker deserves a proper pay rise," urging her followers to retweet and get #nhspayrise trending.
"Gratitude doesn't pay mortgages. Clapping doesn't pay bills. NHS staff can't feed their kids with rainbows. They deserved better. They are worth more," said another Twitter user.
Another NHS worker added: "So excited to spend my 1% pay rise on my 5% council tax increase."
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A government spokesperson said they would "consider carefully" the recommendations made by the NHS Pay Review Body when it reports in the spring.
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