A report last year by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) on the conditions faced by Scottish student midwives laid bare the crisis facing the sector.
60 percent of students surveyed were worried that they would have to drop out due to financial reasons. 70 percent had to take on extra debts to continue their studies. And almost 70 percent lost their benefits once starting their course.
This has had a clear impact on the wellbeing of these students, 40 percent reported having trouble sleeping due to financial stress. Many quotes in the report detailing the extreme levels of stress these students are under:
“I am currently working three part-time jobs to make up the salary I have lost since starting my course. They advise that this is a full-time course and it is difficult to work around it but it’s a part-time bursary and I can’t afford to live on it.
“I often need to leave studying as I need to prioritise work in order to earn money. This means I have no days to rest – this is not sustainable. I worry about losing my job for performing poorly when tired from placement.”
“I’m basically working every day that I’m not on placement or in university, so I don’t have any days off. I’m constantly exhausted and struggle to concentrate.”
“It’s a choice I need to make to bring in extra money that we need to keep a roof over our head but having to sacrifice spending time with my children.”
No trust in the politicians
The Revolutionary Communist Party completely supports the demands of the RCM: increasing the student bursary in line with inflation; access to student loans; refunds on placement costs; and access to benefits.
In order to live we must all have been born, this is the simplest fact of life. For almost everyone in this country, our birth was in part thanks to the work of midwives from our National Health Service.
This makes midwives one of the most glaringly obvious necessities for a modern society. It should be of the utmost concern to those who run our country that student midwives are facing a crisis of funding and conditions.
In spite of this, the funds needed to meet the RCM’s demands and fight this crisis will not be handed over easily by the Scottish Government – quite the opposite!
The RCM, alongside student representatives, have called on the government to step in and save the midwifery sector from an all-out recruitment and retention crisis.
Time and time again however, meetings and discussions on the politicians’ terms turn out to be full of bureaucratic hoops, placed in front of anyone who dares demand better from our so-called ‘representatives’.
This is the reality of democracy under capitalism. Our politicians make all sorts of promises and ‘commitments’ to us when we head to the polls, or to get us to leave their constituency surgeries in a timely fashion.
However, as soon as they step through the doors of Holyrood they double back on themselves and claim they’ve just discovered that, as if by magic, the money well has run dry.
Militant action
Nothing short of militant action will force these career politicians to remember their promises.
The RCP therefore calls on the RCM leaders to organise committees of midwives and students who can begin organising a fighting campaign against the Scottish Government’s neglect.
This campaign should include rallies, calls to organise with other NHS and university unions, and should be ready to escalate to industrial action and strikes.
Even if all the RCM’s minimum demands are met, we need to go further!
In reality, there is more than enough money going around in society for all students working in the NHS to live comfortably, and be able to contribute to our health sector free of debt and financial worries.
The problem is that this wealth lies in the pockets of the wealthiest in society – the bankers, bosses, and billionaires. This is the sickness of capitalism.
Our future generations rely on these students to bring them into this world, and yet the system can only offer them pennies to live off. If capitalism cannot offer what we need, then we must do away with capitalism!
- Free healthcare and university education for all!
- Democratic control of universities! Workers’ control of the NHS!
- Seize the wealth of the banks and the super-rich to pay for our public services!
Edinburgh RCP is organising a meeting at 19:00 on 4 June at F11, Napier Uni Merchiston Campus (Colinton Road) on the topic of ‘Why is there a crisis in the NHS?’. Follow their Instagram page for more information.
