THE Tory government’s decision to end free car parking for NHS hospital workers in England from Friday will be the “final straw for overworked and underpaid staff,” health unions warn. 

Parking fees were waived in March 2020 after more than 400,000 people signed a petition demanding the move during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced on Tuesday that the “temporary” scheme, which had cost £130 million, was to suddenly end as the health crisis had moved to a “new stage.”

Unison head of health Sara Gorton warned that the return of charges will exacerbate the already significant cost-of-living crisis and hit staff morale “even further.”

“Those already on the brink of leaving the NHS may well see this as the final straw and head for the exit,” she said. 

GMB national officer Rachel Harrison slammed the move as “a sick joke,” while TUC head Frances O’Grady said it is a “lousy way to repay staff after their sacrifices during the pandemic.”

Scotland abolished its final NHS car parking charges last year, while hospital parking has been free across Labour-run Wales since 2018.