https://sputnikglobe.com/20230713/uk-junior-doctors-begin-five-day-strike-as-nhs-waiting-lists-hit-record-high-1111848204.html
UK Junior Doctors Begin Five-Day Strike as NHS Waiting Lists Hit Record High
UK Junior Doctors Begin Five-Day Strike as NHS Waiting Lists Hit Record High
Sputnik International
National Health Service hospital medics have called the government's pay offer of just two per cent — less than a quarter of the current inflation rate — "insulting" after years of seeing their earnings eroded.
2023-07-13T11:56+0000
2023-07-13T11:56+0000
2023-07-13T12:32+0000
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Junior hospital doctors have begun a five-day strike over pay - the longest walkout in the history of the National Health Service (NHS).The industrial action beginning on Thursday morning comes as the number of people waiting for treatment reaches a record high of 7.47 million, up from a previous high of 7.42 million in late April this year, despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to cut the backlog.Striking house officers and registrars, organized by the British Medical Association (BMA), want a 35 percent pay rise as "restoration" for years of below-par annual awards — including an "insulting and well below-inflation" two percent this year.But the government said it would improve that offer to six percent, plus a bonus of £1,250, in line with that proposed by the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) on Thursday.Treasury Minister John Glen told Parliament that he had accepted the recommendations of all the public-sector pay review bodies "in full" — meaning police and prison officers would get a seven percent rise, teachers a 6.5 percent and armed forces personnel five per cent plus a £1,000 bonus.In a TV interview on Sunday, Labour Party Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves refused to commit the main opposition party to those figures, drawing fire from trade unions.But Health Secretary Steve Barclay called that pay claim "unreasonable" and said that the strike had "collapsed" ongoing talks with the BMA.Last week, the devolved Edinburgh executive reached a 12.4 percent pay settlement with the BMA for doctors based in Scotland, prompting calls for London to follow suit."The pay offer on the table to junior doctors in Scotland and how it was reached throws into sharp relief the obstinate approach being taken by the prime minister and the health secretary," they added.Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation is still running at 8.7 percent, down from a high of 11.1 percent last October, thanks to a combination of the pandemic lockdowns and sanctions on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine.Prices of essentials like food, petrol and diesel and household energy have risen by 50 percent or more. Sunak has also promised to halve inflation from its peak to around five per cent by the end of the year.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230409/upcoming-junior-doctors-strike-could-cause-unparalleled-levels-of-disruption-nhs-warns-1109285792.html
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national health service (nhs) junior doctors walk out on strike over pay, nhs waiting lists reach record levels
national health service (nhs) junior doctors walk out on strike over pay, nhs waiting lists reach record levels
UK Junior Doctors Begin Five-Day Strike as NHS Waiting Lists Hit Record High
11:56 GMT 13.07.2023 (Updated: 12:32 GMT 13.07.2023) National Health Service medics have called the government's pay offer of just two percent — less than a quarter of current inflation — "insulting" after years of seeing their earnings eroded.
Junior hospital doctors have begun a five-day strike over pay - the longest walkout in the history of the
National Health Service (NHS).
The industrial action beginning on Thursday morning comes as the number of people waiting for treatment reaches a record high of 7.47 million, up from a previous high of 7.42 million in late April this year, despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to cut the backlog.
Striking house officers and registrars, organized by the British Medical Association (BMA), want a 35 percent pay rise as "restoration" for years of below-par annual awards — including an "insulting and well below-inflation" two percent this year.
But the government said it would improve that offer to six percent, plus a bonus of £1,250, in line with that proposed by the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) on Thursday.
Treasury Minister John Glen told Parliament that he had accepted the recommendations of all the public-sector pay review bodies "in full" — meaning police and prison officers would get a seven percent rise, teachers a 6.5 percent and armed forces personnel five per cent plus a £1,000 bonus.
In a TV interview on Sunday, Labour Party Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves refused to commit the main opposition party to those figures, drawing fire from
trade unions.But Health Secretary Steve Barclay called that pay claim "unreasonable" and said that the strike had "collapsed" ongoing talks with the BMA.
"This five-day walkout by junior doctors will have an impact on thousands of patients, put patient safety at risk and hamper efforts to cut NHS waiting lists," Barclay warned. "A pay demand of 35% or more is unreasonable and risks fuelling inflation, which makes everyone poorer."
Last week, the devolved Edinburgh executive reached a 12.4 percent
pay settlement with the BMA for doctors based in Scotland, prompting calls for London to follow suit.
"We can call this strike off today if the UK government will simply follow the example of the government in Scotland and drop their nonsensical precondition of not talking whilst strikes are announced and produce an offer which is credible to the doctors they are speaking with," said BMA Junior Doctors' Committee Co-Chairmen Dr. Robert Laurenson and Dr. Vivek Trivedi.
"The pay offer on the table to junior doctors in Scotland and how it was reached throws into sharp relief the obstinate approach being taken by the prime minister and the health secretary," they added.
Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation is still running at 8.7 percent, down from a high of 11.1 percent last October, thanks to a combination of the pandemic lockdowns and sanctions on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine.
Prices of essentials like food, petrol and diesel and household energy have risen by 50 percent or more. Sunak has also promised to halve inflation from its peak to around five per cent by the end of the year.
