Furious key workers who have kept the country moving this year have blasted Rishi Sunak ’s “disgusting” pay freeze announcement.
Public sector staff such as police officers, local government workers and firefighters have kept Britain operating.
Teachers described being “exhausted and angry” and fear many will walk away from the profession. And refuse workers insisted: “We’re not immune from the virus, it doesn’t avoid us.”
The Chancellor did offer a reprieve – the 2.1 million who earn less that £24,000 will get a £250 rise next year, and NHS workers will not be subject to the freeze.
But the spending review means there will be a real-terms cut for around two million workers, as inflation rises.
Niamh Sweeney, 47, teacher
Sixth form teacher Niamh Sweeney, 47, fears colleagues will leave teaching after hearing news of the pay freeze.
The “exhausted” teacher of 20 years said she has been working longer hours and struggling to support her students through the anxiety of missing school and key exams.
She said: “Before the pandemic we were in the biggest recruitment and retention crisis that education has ever been in.
“We had a huge workload issue before, and throughout this crisis we have stepped up and just kept on going. I am worried my colleagues near retirement will just walk away.”
During the first lockdown schools stayed open for key workers’ children and to provide remote learning.
Since reopening, the criminology and health and social care teacher at Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge, said school has been a “pressure cooker environment”.
“We are just firefighting and we will continue fire fighting until exam results come out.”
A teaching assistant who qualifies for the minimum £250 pay rise for public-sector workers earning under £24,000 has described the figure as “a slap in the face”.
Sarah James, 40, customer services
Sarah, who works for a local authority in the West Midlands, said this year had been the busiest she can recall.
The mum-of-two, of Wednesbury, also a GMB union workplace rep, has been inundated with calls from locals worried about council tax and benefits as they were left unemployed or furloughed.
She said: “It’s been manic all year. The past 10 years we’ve had a real-terms pay reduction but time and time again it’s public sector workers who bear the brunt of cuts and freezes, and it’s shocking.
“We’ve been there for people struggling the entire year and this is the reward.
“Being as busy as we’ve been while working from home has been difficult. It makes me incredibly angry and sad.”
Jon Wharnsby, 41, firefighter
Firefighter Jon volunteered to help the overstretched ambulance service during the pandemic.
Scores of his colleagues also helped deliver food and medicines, as well as carrying out their daily duties.
He said firefighters were “absolutely livid” about the pay freeze, adding: “This is particularly galling because we were the people that were asked to step up.
“NHS staff, cleaners... everyone stepped forward. The idea that those who fought on the front line of the pandemic are to be asked to pay for the cost of it through their wages is infuriating.”
He said being seconded to the London Ambulance Service was “extremely tough”. He said: “The paramedics were fantastic and some were so close to burnt out. The pressure on the NHS is huge.”
The firefighter and FBU rep, from East London, whose partner works as a teacher, said pay freezes have left their household £10,000 worse since 2010.
Simon Cotton, 36, refuse worker
Refuse worker Simon Cotton, 36, rises every day at 5am before beginning his 6.30am shift to keep the streets of Southampton clean.
Simon, also a Unite union rep, said many of his colleagues would be hit hard by yesterday’s announcement.
“We’ve worked throughout this pandemic, Monday to Friday, handling bins and refuse sacks to then go home to our families,” he said.
“We’re not immune from the virus, it doesn’t avoid us because we’re key workers.
“We’re emptying everyone’s bins, keeping the streets clean, and then going home to our loved ones, putting them at risk too.
“We’ve been on the front line and haven’t stopped.
“It just shows you how out of touch this Tory government is.
“We’re the sector that is always forgotten."
James Anderson, 35, teacher
James Anderson, a 35-year-old teacher at Southmoor Academy in Sunderland, a secondary school and sixth form, said staff have been left feeling “exhausted and angry” after a torrid year.
“It has been stressful to say the least. Keeping on top of six hours a day delivering lessons in school, as well as setting remote learning, has practically doubled the workload.
“In many cases, pupils rarely complete the work set remotely, yet staff are still held accountable to meet the same pupil attainment targets.
“To try and combat this, staff are expected to provide more ‘virtual’ lessons, recorded in real time, which can take hours to prepare."
Donna Spicer, 48, teaching assistant
Donna Spicer, 48, from the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said that people working in the public sector have “been on the front line throughout”.
She Said: “That’s just a slap in the face, £250. That works out (at) what, £20 a month?
“That’s not going to fill my car up with petrol, it wouldn’t get my colleagues a bus pass. He might as well just keep it.
“Public-sector workers, teaching staff, school support staff, we’ve been on the front line throughout. All this about ‘schools are closed’ - no, they haven’t been, they’ve been partially closed because we’ve still been looking after key-worker children and we’ve been looking after the vulnerable children throughout.
“Since the full return of school we’re putting our lives on the line every day that we go to school. What about the staff’s mental health and wellbeing? We’re worrying daily about catching it ( coronavirus ).”
