Police to review £10k fine given to NHS pay protestor
Local Mayor Andy Burnham has asked the force to perform an "additional review process" of the Fixed Penalty Notices - which was issued to Karen Reissmann for organising a 40-person protest on St Peter's Square on Sunday (March 7).
A £10,000 fine was issued by police to 61-year-old Karen Reissmann for her role in organising a protest against NHS pay
The £10,000 fine handed to a 61-year-old health worker for protesting NHS pay rates is being reviewed, Greater Manchester Police have confirmed.
Local Mayor Andy Burnham has asked the force to perform an “additional review process” of the five-figure Fixed Penalty Notice issued to Karen Reissmann for organising a 40-person protest in St Peter’s Square on Sunday (March 7).
Reissmann had helped arrange the mass gathering to campaign against the government’s proposed 1% pay rise for nurses – which she called “insulting“.
Under current coronavirus legislation, maximum penalties of £10,000 can be issued to anyone who organises gatherings of over 30 people.
Reissmann was accused of showing “a degree of non-compliance” when officers aimed to disperse her protest group, with police claiming it “necessary” to issue her with a fine.
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The decision is now currently being reviewed.
A GMP spokesperson stated: “The FPN given last weekend is currently undergoing an additional review process following a request from the Mayor to do so.
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“All of our £10k FPNs are reviewed before processing so as well as this initial review we will review both the command decisions to ensure they were proportionate and commensurate with our strategy and previous operations, in addition we have asked for this to be reviewed by our legal department and provide a response back to the Mayor as to whether this was an appropriate course of action by GMP.”
A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help Reissmann pay her fine – with over £17,000 donated so far.
The fundraiser page, supported by actress Maxine Peake and over 900 others, said that extra donations would be passed on to a mental health charity.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended the pay increase this week, claiming the government was giving “as much as we can” during the tough conditions of the pandemic.
But The Royal College of Nursing (RCB) has repeatedly called on the government to reverse their decision and “give nursing what it deserves”.
The organisation has claimed a 1% pay rise would only amount to an extra £3.50 a week in take home pay, and a petition has been posted online calling for a much higher boost of 12.5%.
In an open letter to the Prime Minister, the RCN said that nursing staff’s wages does “not reflect the essential work they do” in “highly skilled, complex, responsible roles”.
“Many are now worse off than they were 10 years ago and are considering leaving the profession,” reads the statement.
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“Fair pay for nursing is about making sure that a safety-critical profession can reach safe staffing levels, to provide safe and effective care for all people of the United Kingdom.”
UK union UNISON is one of several groups campaigning for a show of solidarity for health workers tonight – with people urged to head to their doors and balconies for a ‘slow hand clap‘ on Thursday 11 March.
The display aims to put a sardonic spin on the ‘clap for carers’ campaign – which saw Brits applaud essential staff for their work during the pandemic.
There is also a plan for the slow handclap to be repeated on April 1 – the date NHS staff were due for a wage increase.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Times may be tough but this deal is below-inflation and derisory.
“It’s like the worst of austerity is back.”
News
Sara Cox tipped to replace Scott Mills for Eurovision 2026
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester’s very own Sara Cox is reportedly set to replace Scott Mills at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest following his sacking from the BBC.
Mills was axed by the news and entertainment corporation on Monday, 1 April, for ‘misconduct’, which has now been revealed to involve a historic relationship with a boy aged under 16.
While the fallout surrounding Scott Mills is only just beginning, the task of finding his replacement in multiple roles has already begun – though it looks like one may have already been decided.
Now reported by multiple outlets, it appears as though Bolton-born Sara Cox is first in line to pick up Mills’ co-hosting duties for this year’s Eurovision show.
Having already been involved with coverage of the event on multiple ocassions in the past, it now appears that she’ll be in post for the Grand Final too.
As a long-standing radio and TV staple, it only takes a quick look at social media to see how much backing she has already received in the past, with a post from last year reading, “Great to have Sara Cox back commentating on Eurovision“, and others from over a decade ago praising her past presenting.
In fact, it might not end just here either, as many are already calling for her to replace the 53-year-old breakfast show host.
From her days as a Radio 1 favourite to becoming a BBC mainstay across the board, her popularity only seems to have grown over the last decade, especially thanks to her charity fundraising efforts.
While an official announcement is yet to be made, the feeling is that it is all but confirmed for her to take over from Mills as part of the Eurovision commentary team.
As for the now vacant early morning slot on BBC Radio 2, the likes of Claudio Winkleman, Vernon Kay, fellow Manc Nick Grimshaw, the aforementioned Rylan, and several others have all been floated as potential stand-ins/future full-time hosts.
Do you think both should be given to Sara Cox, and if not, who would you like to see replace Scott Mills?
Millions of UK workers to get pay rises from today as National Living and Minimum Wage increases
Emily Sergeant
Millions of workers across the UK are set to begin receiving substantial pay rises from today.
After the Government announced back in November that it would take the recommendations made by the Low Pay Commission, and increase both the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, those changes have now come into force in a bid to ensure people on lower incomes are ‘properly rewarded’ for their work.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Low Pay Commission, it’s an independent body made up of employers, trade unions, and experts whose role is to advise the Government on the minimum wage.
As mentioned, the rate recommendations introduced today were agreed unanimously by the Commission.
This means that the living wage, for eligible workers who are aged 21 and over, has now risen by 4.1% from today to £12.71 an hour.
For a full-time worker, that means a pay increase of £900 a year.
Millions of workers in the UK are getting pay rises from today / Credit: John Kakuk (via Unsplash) | Pexels
The National Minimum Wage rate for workers aged 18 to 20-year-olds has also increased today by 8.5% to £10.85 an hour, and then for 16 to 17-year-olds, and those on apprenticeships, the rate has increased by 6% to £8 an hour.
“The recommendations we made last autumn sought to balance the need to protect the economy and labour market, whilst providing a real-terms increase for the lowest-paid members of society,” commented Baroness Philippa Stroud, who is Chair of the Low Pay Commission.
“A lot has changed since we gave our advice to the Government last autumn, and we are now beginning to gather evidence for recommendations later this year.
“The current economic uncertainty makes it essential that the Commission hears from those affected by the minimum wage and builds consensus for evidence-based recommendations.
Workers aged 21 and over are now legally entitled to the National Living Wage after the age threshold for the highest rate was lowered from 23 in 2024.
National Minimum Wage rates are available to workers aged 16 upwards.
The Manc -
11th March 2021 
