Will Strikes Bring the House Down?

Will Strikes Bring the House Down?

Nurses are striking because we have 10% inflation and they cannot afford their rent, transport and food.

Tories, and as far as I can see Labour too, seem to respond with:

• There is nothing in the kitty
• A pay rise will fuel inflation
• It’s not fair to other people people who are not getting a rise

It's visionless and gutless.

I say negotiate an immediate settlement. There will need to be give-and-take on both sides.

But the government should also start showing some leadership and look at solutions that amount to more than sitting on their backsides fiddling with taxation and budgetary spreadsheets.

Where is the POLICY?

The largest slice of a nurse’s salary is his/her rent or mortgage. It will take about a third of what s/he earns. One-third of her/his labour is going into putting a roof over his/her head.

Source: https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-uk-household-budget#nogo

We Need:

• High-quality social housing for everyone from the homeless to those in well-paid jobs.
• Social housing is available on means-tested rentals that will reduce rents by half or more. That would not only give striking nurses and rail drivers a rise, but it would fairly benefit shopworkers and lorry drivers and everyone on more modest incomes.
• Borrow to create this social housing but keep that housing in state ownership for good. That housing it will pay for itself over and over again in the long term even with reduced rents. (It works for the private sector)
• Social housing that is so good and with such amazing facilities that it will be highly desirable. That will take the heat out of the private housing sector so house prices and private rents will start to cool to sustainable levels (and help bring inflation down)
• Social housing that is well insulated and energy efficient. This will help reduce national energy consumption.
• A return to local government having housing departments with their own in-house architects and building staff – it will create a lot of jobs and provide skill development.

There are many other less tangible but nevertheless valuable benefits to good social housing that would help with mental health, social cohesion and much more.

Bottom line – not everything is about the bottom line in a spreadsheet.

We need a government that understands and appreciates that wealth ought to be put to work for improving the quality of life of all its citizens and not just for the rich to hoard.

The UK could do this – but which party has this vision?