Parking fees were abolished during the Covid-19 pandemic, but Sajid Javid said the benefit would expire this week. In a statement for Covid-19, Javid wrote: “Free on-site parking for NHS staff introduced during the pandemic will also expire on March 31. “However, more than 93% of NHS car chargers charge for free parking for those most in need, including NHS overnight staff.” He added: “On behalf of the government, I would like to thank all those who have worked tirelessly to keep people safe over the past two years and whose efforts have allowed us to move on to the next stage of dealing with Covid-19. » “Charging NHS staff who risked their lives during the pandemic to park at work is a sick joke,” Rachel Harrison, a national GMB official, told PA Media. “After years of Tory cuts, NHS trusts are getting harder, we know. But wiping out money from hard-working workers is not the answer. “The government must now legislate a permanent free parking for hospital staff.” TUC Secretary General Frances O’Grady said: “Our amazing key NHS staff have put their lives on the line to overcome this pandemic. Abolishing free car parking in the midst of a cost of living crisis is a miserable way to reciprocate this service. “The government should give healthcare workers a proper salary increase – not add to their bills. “And it needs to fund our NHS properly so that hospitals do not have to rely on parking for their income.” The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said the privilege was “temporary” and was introduced in July 2020 “during the pandemic”. He said the program had cost about 130 130m in the last two years. Unison Chief Health Officer Sara Gorton added: “This is not a way for the NHS to rely on staff in the current job market. Parking fees will add hundreds of pounds to the huge cost pressures already facing healthcare staff and further reduce their morale. “Those who are already on the verge of leaving the NHS may well see this as the last glass and head out, as the service needs more experienced staff. More than a third of staff have had to seek financial support from family or friends in the past year, according to a Unison survey. More than two-fifths say they take on extra work to make ends meet. “This is the reality that health workers face. “A wage boost that is wreaking havoc on inflation is vital to stop more staff leaving the NHS this year.”
