Retired social worker Pat McGreevy is calling on nurses to receive their agreed back payments immediately
Workers Party representative for South Down Pat McGreevy, a retired social worker, has called on the Northern Ireland Executive to pay Health Service staff what they are owed in arrears of wages immediately.
Mr McGreevy said that it disgraceful that senior managers, senior civil servants, and MLAs are due to get yet another substantial pay increase while health service staff are still waiting on their long-overdue pay increases.
Pat McGreevy, who has been selected to stand for the Workers Party in South Down in the next Assembly election in May 2026, said: “All we hear from the Department of Health is that they have not yet been given the funds to pay staff the increase they are owed.
“But they have allowed Trusts to spend millions of pounds on agency staff, outside consultants, private companies, and are still paying interest on private finance payments.
“All these decisions made by the people now getting thousands of pounds in salary increases were the architects of these disastrous decisions that have squandered taxpayers’ money and has created the crisis in the health and social care services.
“The good will and dedication of health service staff is being exploited, and they are suffering from burnout, yet day after day they continue to turn up to work.
“These staff are always last in the queue to be paid, but first in the queue to suffer from efficiency savings measures cuts to services and closure of facilities.”
He added: “All trusts are being asked to make millions in efficiency savings, but there is no fat left in the system support and other services have been cut to the bone while management structures have grown in number and salaries.
“The Health Minister must now ensure that not only are staff paid but they are treated as protected front line staff of all grades who keep our services going and our hospitals open.
“it is time their efforts were respected, recognised, and valued.
