Tens of thousands of trainee doctors in England went on a 72-hour strike today over a wage dispute.
They started the action at 7 am on Monday and most likely it will affect all regions of England. Striking workers will resume their work from 7 am on March 16. Here’s what we know about the controversy.
Why are young doctors on strike?
Up to 61,000 doctors are on strike demanding a 26 percent pay increase. Members of the British Medical Association (BMA), which is organizing the strike, say they are also taking action because young doctors feel undervalued and overworked.
Young doctors make up 45 percent of the medical staff, and two-thirds of them are members of the British Medical Association.
The BMA said newly qualified doctors earn £14.09 an hour, less than cafe baristas, adding that real wages for young doctors in England have fallen by 26% since 2008/09. They require £14.09 an hour to be increased to £19 an hour.
The union’s ad campaign read: “Pret a Manger announced they would pay up to £14.10 an hour. A resident earns just £14.09. Thanks to this government, you can serve more coffee than save patients. This week junior doctors will go on strike to get paid what they deserve.”
Dr. Robert Lawrence and Dr. Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: “Is £14.09 an hour really worth all junior doctors? Accumulated a debt of £100,000.
“We fully support that every worker should receive a pay rise in line with inflation, and it’s worth considering that the government has cut the pay of young doctors so much so that they can earn more by serving coffee.
“Is it any surprise that young doctors are looking for work abroad or elsewhere when the government tells them they are worth more than a quarter less than they were in 2008?
“Losing such valuable clinicians to other countries and professions, while waiting lists are reaching an all-time high, means that patients will suffer even more than they already have.
That’s why the doctors are on strike. We are fighting to get our pay back. We are fighting to restore our value. We are fighting to rebuild our workforce so that the NHS can be an effective healthcare system again.
When was the last time doctors received a pay raise?
according to Dr. Naru Narayanan, president of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA), said prospective doctors “haven’t had a pay raise in the past 15 years.”
He told the BBC: “If they had this annual increase, we wouldn’t be in this position.
“Junior doctors are leaving after six years of medical training… with a salary of £14 an hour and over £100,000 in debt. In addition, they must pay for their own exams and tuition. It’s just not sustainable.
“While you ask [for] raise their hourly rate to £19. It too?
Dr Trivedi told ITVs good morning britain“We have kept the government informed about this for months, if not years, and since October we have had a formal dispute with the government for over 150 days. And it’s disappointing that we’ve had radio silence from them all this time.”
He added that the BMA had told ministers how wages affected morale and staff retention, causing a staffing crisis, but the government had not responded.
The BMA had previously met with Health Secretary Steve Barclay, but “he said he didn’t even have a mandate to negotiate with us, he couldn’t bring anything up for discussion,” the doctor said. Trivedi.
“So getting a letter from him that says we’d like to talk, but it has terms that he knows our membership will never accept doesn’t look like a bona fide offer.”
The BMA says doctors in England will go on strike in 2023 to:
1. Provide full salary reimbursement to reverse the sharp decline in trainee doctor salaries since 2008/09.
2. Agree with the government on a mechanism to prevent a fall in the cost of living and inflation in the future.
3. Reform the DDRB (Ärzte- und Zahnärzteprüfstelle) process so that salary increases can be independently and fairly recommended to ensure the recruitment and retention of medical trainees.
What does the government say?
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “deeply disappointed that the Young Doctors’ Association is not cooperating with the government.”
He added that he would urge doctors to “accept the government’s offer to come and negotiate, other unions have done so and we are making progress.”
Health and Welfare Minister Steve Barclay said: “It is incredibly disappointing that the British Medical Association turned down my offer to open formal wage negotiations on the condition that strikes be stopped.
“I appreciate the hard work of young doctors and call on unions to sit down at the negotiating table and cancel strikes that threaten patient safety and hinder efforts to close the backlog. I want to find a fair deal that recognizes the important role of junior doctors and the broader economic hardships the UK is facing.
“I have had constructive and meaningful discussions with the unions of nurses, ambulance workers and other non-medical workers who have agreed to end the strike, and negotiations continue this week.
“We have worked closely with NHS England on contingency plans to protect patient safety during strikes, prioritizing emergency, emergency and emergency care, but there will inevitably be some disruption for patients.”
What services are affected?
Hospital visits may be delayed for some people, and Professor Stephen Powys, medical director of NHS England, suggested on Times Radio that young doctors’ strikes are likely to affect cancer treatment.
He said the NHS is “doing everything we can to provide emergency treatment for cancer, but unfortunately some of them may be affected this week, such violations we are likely to see.”
“If this happens, we will reassign people as soon as possible.”
Advisors are expected to provide some cover during strikes, Prof Powys said, but “it’s going to be a tough three days and it’s going to be pretty tough.”
He said more than 100,000 surgeries and outpatient appointments had to be postponed this winter. Due to the strike of young doctors, even more resistance will have to be offered.
However, the NHS recommends dialing 999 in an emergency. Unless otherwise noted, you must also attend scheduled appointments.
NHS emergency services will be available and priority will be given to those in need of intensive care, newborns and injuries.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.