Frontline staff should be paid extra £2 per hour, says STUC

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) has urged the Scottish and UK Governments to increase pay for frontline workers.

There are demands to pay frontline workers more

Roz Foyer, the general secretary of the group, will tell its annual congress on Tuesday that an extra £2 per hour should be given to NHS staff, carers, workers in retail and transport and those who helped to keep social security programmes running through the pandemic.

During the first wave of Covid-19 earlier this year, people across the country applauded key workers outside their homes for their efforts.

Ms Foyer will tell the congress that “claps and rainbows don’t pay the bills”.

She will say: “As the second wave of this virus takes hold and we face a long, hard winter, let’s not forget that although many of these crucial and highly skilled workers are still exhausted from the first wave, they’re being asked to do more, go faster and reach further in their work to take care of us all over again."

Along with the key worker funding, the group will also call on an immediate uplift of the minimum wage to at least £10 per hour for workers of all ages.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Government is committed to the principles of Fair Work, including payment of at least the real living wage to all workers.

“Our flagship Fair Work First policy asks employers to commit to adopting fair working practices helping to create workplaces where workers have greater security of pay and contract, can develop their skills and have an effective voice.”