
New Rules, New Chaos… For Some
With immigration figures at an all time high, the government continues to go to extreme length maintain its promise of reducing UK migrants.
Rarely do politicians keep their word, however it seems this time Mr Cameron is determined to keep this one. In fact and rather unfortunately, the one thing we can be guaranteed from a Tory government is lower level of immigrants- illegal or not. Do not misunderstand, we are not encouraging illegal immigrants, but a recent article from the BBC, caused immediate concern; non- European workers will have to leave the UK after six years if they are not earning at least £35,000. Whilst in most industries, job progression is likely to lead to such a salary after six years of experience, within one crucial field it does not.
A representative of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said this new rule would not only waste money the NHS spends on recruitment and training of nurses, but also cause absolute chaos. By the time the bill is implemented, this will affect 3,300 NHS nurses and by the end of the decade, money lost on training and recruitment will total nearly £40 million.
The RCN said this move is ‘totally illogical’ because of the shortage of nurses in the UK, which has lead to the NHS recruiting from overseas. Nurse salaries fall between £21,000 and £28,000pa, nowhere near £35,000.
So as the Tories work to lower the rate of immigrants, we wonder, have they considered the effect this will have on public services such as the NHS? Or do they completely disregard those outside their own constituency?
Our suggestion? Focus on illegal immigrants, rather than those contributing to society and carrying out a vital public service.