A CAMPAIGNING nurse has criticised the Government for promising NHS workers a 3 per cent pay rise - instead of the 15 per cent rise she, and colleagues, have been fighting for.

Holly Turner, a nurse who works for Colchester Hospital, hand delivered a petition to Downing Street, on Tuesday, signed by more than 800,000 calling the Government to grant health workers a 15 per cent pay increase.

The petition called for 'pay justice' following the unprecedented challenges NHS workers were faced with during the coronavirus pandemic.

The afternoon after Holly, accompanied by former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivered the petition to the Prime Minister's home the Government confirmed NHS workers would get a 3 per cent rise.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced the “average nurse” will receive an additional £1,000 a year, while many porters and cleaners will get around £540.

The 3 per cent increase was recommended by an independent body and will be paid to the majority of NHS staff in England including nurses, paramedics, consultants, dentists and salaried GPs but does not cover doctors and dentists in training.

However, Holly said she, and other campaigners, are not impressed by the Government's decision to give NHS workers a 3 per cent pay rise.

She said: "3 per cent is not a pay rise, it represents a further real terms cut to our pay following over a decade of pay restraint.

"Offering 3 per cent is a political choice, and will do nothing to support recruitment and retention but will in fact drive more staff out of the NHS at a time when we have 100,000 vacancies.

"This will only increase risk for both staff and patients at risk."

Despite the pay rise being less than Holly hoped for, the 3 per cent rise is still more than other public sector workers have received.

Since the start of the pandemic teachers, police and firefighters have not been given a pay increase.

Holly added: "It is shocking that many of our public sector colleagues have been offered a pay freeze.

"These are workers who have done above and beyond over the past year and have literally kept the country running.

"The Government has failed to protect public sector workers throughout the pandemic and what message does this pay freeze send?"