Junior doctors rejoin picket line
Thousands of junior doctors across England rejoined the picket line this morning to continue their 72 hour strike over pay – the longest-ever period of industrial action in their profession’s history.
Junior doctors comprise roughly 45% of the NHS’s medical workforce. It’s a broad term covering those fresh out of university to doctors with up to 10 years of experience.
While Consultants – senior doctors – are stepping in across the country to provide cover in areas such as A&E, the strike will inevitably lead to the postponing of planned treatment, such as knee and hip replacements. This fresh disruption comes after an array of health strikes over the winter caused over 100,000 appointments to be postponed. The impact of the junior doctor walkout may well be greater than that of nurses because the Royal College of Nursing only ever had a mandate for half of services. This strike, on the other hand, is affecting every part of England.
What will it take for the strike action to be called off?
Junior doctors are ambitiously asking for a pay rise of 35% – a figure Health Secretary Steve Barclay has branded “completely unaffordable”. Yet the British Medical Association (BMA) insists this figure is simply “pay restoration” since junior doctors have faced a giant 26% real-terms pay cut over the last 15 years.
In fact, according to the union, newly qualified medics now earn less than many baristas: “Pret has announced it will pay up to £14.10 per hour while a junior doctor makes just £14.09,” according to the BMA.
Admittedly, this isn’t true for all those who fall into the junior category; £14 an hour – which works out at £29,000 a year – is the amount doctors receive in basic pay during their first year after finishing university. In the second year, this generally increases to £16.30 an hour. After 10 years, many are on a very decent salary of around £77,000 a year.
The government – which is continuing pay negotiations this week with health unions representing nurses, physios and ambulance workers – did offer the BMA last minute pay talks on Friday in an attempt to get the doctors’ strike called off. But the BMA declined because the government insisted on keeping discussions focussed on future pay and limiting talks over 15 years of pay erosion to the possibility of a one-off bonus payment.
Junior doctors insist that the government must soften its stance if it wishes to tackle the unprecedented recruitment and retention crisis in the NHS.
That said, the government is preparing to announce a measure which it hopes will go some way to address NHS workforce shortages – albeit targeting a different demographic.
In Wednesday’s Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce an increase to the total amount workers can accumulate in their pension savings before paying extra tax.
This anticipated change is in large part targeted at senior doctors and consultants. The problem with current pension rules is that they act as a disincentive for many well-paid senior staff to keep working. Even as the NHS has become increasingly overstretched, many have reduced working hours or retired early to avoid paying extra tax on their pensions.
Hunt’s measure will help to remediate this. That said, junior doctors are a long way off earning anything like the amount where such a policy feels relevant to them. The government will have to find alternative solutions to get junior staff off the picket lines.
Write to us with your comments to be considered for publication at letters@reaction.life