The French government has agreed to give a pay rise of $9 billion to its health workers. It agreed the deal on Monday with labour unions. The extra cash means that nurses and care workers will get an extra $208 a month in their pay packet. Doctors who work in the public sector¹ will also get more money. France's Prime² Minister said the pay rise was to recognise the efforts of health workers during the coronavirus pandemic. During the outbreak, millions of French people applauded³ and clapped their nurses and doctors. This caused the government to reward them with a rise in pay. The Prime Minister told reporters that: "No one can deny that this is a historic⁴ moment for our health system."

 

Monday's announcement and signing ceremony was on the day before Bastille Day on July the 14th. This is a day to honour a turning point in the French Revolution in 1789. It is the national day of France. Around 1,400 nurses, doctors and carers attended a ceremony in Paris' Place de la Concorde. However, some unions asked health workers to stay away from the celebration as a protest⁵. The unions said the government needed to do more to protect staff and keep them safer during the pandemic. The Prime Minister said the government would do more. He said: "It is a way of catching⁶ up for years of delay, for which each and every one of us has their share of responsibility."

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