Outrage as Apprentice's Claude Littner suggests nurses should get second jobs or work longer hours to make ends meet

13 November 2019, 10:26

Lord Sugar's aide also hinted that he thought nurses should work longer hours to make ends meet.

Claude Littner has sparked huge backlash on Twitter after seemingly suggesting that nurses should work longer hours or take second jobs if they don't want to use food banks.

The businessman, who works on The Apprentice alongside Karren Brady as one of Lord Sugar's aides, suggested that there's “nothing wrong with” nurses who are 'struggling to make ends meet' extending their hours or taking part time jobs.

He wrote: “If a nurse or anyone else need to make ends meet, nothing wrong with extending hours or finding part time work.”

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Lord Sugar's aide was faced with a barrage of criticism for his words, with one Twitter user writing: "This response surprises me.. we can't all work for Lord Alan Sugar and have a 6-figure salary! I thought you would have expressed the disgust in how little our NHS and emergency service works actually earn."

Another added: "Would you want her to look after a relative of yours when she’d been working a 12hr shift and then sat at a computer for hours doing more work? I don’t agree with abuse but she’s probably shattered and being told to work harder can’t really help."

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A third said: “All depends on the individual situation. A full time nurse? With a family? Trained nurses don't stop learning and often have to do professional development coursework in their spare time. Many nurses work beyond their hours too (unpaid). I speak from experience.”

Claude followed his tweet up with: "No good deed goes unpunished!

"I responded to a nurse who stated that she could not make ends meet. I suggested that as a stop gap she might find some part time work to make ends meet. My niece is a nurse & has an online business that generates income.. result torrent of abuse!"

Claude did not back down from his comments, later writing: “I am not telling anyone to do anything. I was just proposing a solution to possibly overcome a stated shortfall expressed by a nurse.”

He then clarified: “My comment was in response to a nurse who tweeted to let me know she was finding it hard to make ends meet. I offered a proposal to bridge the gap. Made no comment that challenged the hard work/dedication of nurses. I strongly support the fact that nurses should be better paid.”

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