Mental health nurse fined £10,000 after organising protest over ‘offensive’ NHS 1% pay rise

The nurse who organised a protest in Manchester city centre yesterday about the ‘offensive’ 1% pay rise for NHS workers will be fined £10,000.

Mental health worker and Unison rep, Karen Reissmann attended the demonstration in St Peter’s Square on Sunday at midday. 

Attendees were wearing masks and cones were marked on the floor to help everyone maintain social distancing. 

However, Karen, aged 61, was spoken to before the protest could go ahead by officers from Greater Manchester Police. 

Officers explained that due to the current Covid-19 restrictions the protest would be illegal.

Karen explained that the protest would have to end to those in attendance and the gathering dispersed.

Once the crowd had dispersed, Karen spoke to officers on the edge of St Peter’s Square and was told she would be handed the £10,000 fine. 

A 65-year-old woman who stayed with Karen was arrested for ‘failing to provide details having refused the opportunity to leave when asked’. She was later de-arrested after providing details and was given a £200 fine. 

Around 40 people attended the gathering according to a statement released by GMP on Sunday afternoon. They added that officers engaged early ‘using the first of the four Es approach – engaging, explaining and encouraging compliance with legislation.’

Supt, Caroline Hemingway said: “With the positive step of schools reopening tomorrow, it is vital that people continue to follow Government legislation on social distancing and avoid gathering illegally in large numbers. 

“Regardless of one’s sympathies for a protest’s cause, we would ask the public to maintain social distancing and follow legislation to prevent a rise in infections and provide the best possible chance of a further easing of restrictions in the weeks to come.

“We sought to engage with and peaceably disperse those attending this afternoon’s protest, explaining that the gathering was in contravention of Government lockdown rules.

“Unfortunately officers were met with a degree of non-compliance and it was therefore necessary to enforce issue FPNs.”

Speaking to the crowd, Karen said: “Unfortunately the police have told us we can’t proceed with this despite what’s going on in the health service.

“We’ve been told we will not be able to go ahead with this, I’ll be fined and reported to my employer and disciplined and people here will be fined as well, so we will therefore be shutting it down.

“I think we’ve made the point we wanted to make, we sent a message to the government. I think it’s outrageous that somehow this is deemed illegal when the size of the crowd here will be ten times bigger in hundreds and thousands of schools tomorrow morning.

“This isn’t about safety, this is about the government trying to stamp down on protest which I think is a dying shame. The health service will lose out.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Karen pay the fine.