In a world where we’re told that ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ and where the expression ‘money makes the world go round’ has been well known for decades, we’re all aware of the importance and value of money, and the hard work required to earn a salary. With the outbreak of the coronavirus, our national workforce has been affected severely. Currently, there is an ongoing debate about who deserves a raise, whose salary should be reduced and what should happen to those who face unemployment as a result of the coronavirus running rampant not only in our nation, but worldwide.
The British public is hardworking, determined and resilient. Prior to the coronavirus, people went about their work diligently, with all professions proving people with a source of income. However, the situation has changed significantly – the NHS has been put under tremendous pressure, key workers are putting their lives at risk and those in the dining, retail and beauty industries have had to either postpone their work or lose their jobs entirely. This hasn’t been taken lightly by the British population; many have rallied together by signing online petitions on the official UK Government and Parliament Petitions website.
A petition which has gained over 140,000 signatures is the ‘Increase pay for NHS healthcare workers and recognise their work’ petition. The Parliament is yet to respond to this petition, yet the fact that is has been signed by so many individuals shows how much the British public values our NHS. Day after day, our dedicated healthcare workers go to work regardless of the risk they’re exposing themselves to. Some have had to go without PPE. Others have had 16 hour shifts. All of them have committed themselves to rescuing our nation from the clutches of the coronavirus. Although this has been recognised by the general public (an example of this is the Thursday Clap for Carers), lots of people believe the government needs to take it one step further and raise the salaries of NHS workers to truly reflect their great efforts.
Even before the coronavirus outbreak, there was speculation and a continued debate about whether athletes’ wages should be reduced, and NHS workers’ salaries increased. This debate has now gained even more public interest – a petition called ‘Increase NHS workers’ salaries and reduce athletes’ wages to accommodate this’ was created. Though getting significant exposure and lots of signatures, this petition has been rejected: the UK government is not responsible for how much athletes get paid. However, the debate still goes on – the UK public is finally recognising the injustice behind salaries. Athletes and footballers can earn between £25,000 to £400,000 each week, yet NHS workers do not earn anywhere near these inflated numbers.
Many have been infuriated by the government being unable to alter this great injustice; the NHS work tirelessly every year, and the current situation has escalated their workload even more. However, a small percentage of the public have formed the opposing side in this debate. Anya R, a local resident, has given her definitive viewpoint: “The government should increase NHS salaries without athletes’ salaries suffering. After all, they pay more tax than the average worker.” Her opinion echoes the words of the Professional Footballers' Association, who say that a 30% pay cut for Premier League players would result in a reduction in tax contributions of more than £200m. Since the NHS relies on tax funding rather heavily, such a dramatic loss of contributions would be very damaging.
Alongside the NHS and athletes’ salaries debate, the coronavirus has led to the unemployment debate: should the government pay salaries for all those who’ve lost their jobs during this pandemic? Again, a petition has been created in favour of this, yet it’s still in the very early stages and currently has just 74 signatures. Since the new cases of unemployment have been due to no fault of the individual workers, but due to the social distancing rules, which have reduced the variety of industries able to operate freely, there’s lots of public support for the government stepping in to prevent newly unemployed people being the victims of poor job security. However, the counterargument of those against this is that the government’s resources are limited as it is, and it should be up to private employers to help their employees.
We live in uncertain times, and the coronavirus pandemic has not only highlighted the heroic work of the NHS, but raised awareness of the stark contrast between NHS salaries and the salaries of footballers and athletes. It has also led to financial troubles for a significant proportion of the British population. Therefore, it is now more important than ever before for us all to rally together, make our opinions clear and retain our work ethic for when we can all work again without the threat of the coronavirus looming over our heads. After all, although ‘the best things in life are free’, there’s no denying that in today’s world, money is not a want, but a need.
