Even Patricia Witless seems to get it:

The chancellor insisted that doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and
other health workers should be held to 1.5% in the annual settlement
for 2007/8 – well below the inflation rate of 3.6% in the most recent
retail price index.

Ms
Hewitt is understood to have fought for more, but eventually accepted
Mr Brown’s ruling. Yesterday she recommended the 1.5% in a submission
to the independent review bodies which set the pay for professions that
are unable to strike for higher earnings without compromising their
patients’ safety.

In an unusually stern warning, she said a more
generous settlement could force NHS trusts to shed staff, reduce
overtime, or cut services. An extra 0.5% would cost £107m – equivalent
to the salaries of 3,300 qualified nurses, 1,200 doctors or 51,000
operations, she added.

Raise wages and fewer hours of labour can be paid for from the same pot of money. Clear and logical. So why do so many people deny this simple truth, one so obvious that even Patty gets it, when it comes to the minimum wage?