Latest news with #BritishMedicalAssociation
Spectator
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Spectator
The growing militancy of the BMA
To understand what's really going on with the latest British Medical Association strike threat – it is currently balloting 50,000 doctors over a putative six-month strike in support of a 29 per cent pay claim for 'resident' (formerly called junior) doctors – it's instructive to look at what happened to Liverpool City Council in the 1980s. The local Labour party had effectively been taken over by Militant entryists, who then exerted de facto control of the council. One of their aims was financial: they argued that cuts to the Rate Support Grant meant that £30 million had been 'stolen' from Liverpool by the government. But they also had a broader political aim: they saw conflict with the government as an end in itself. The parallel with the BMA is far from exact; before Militant, the local Liverpool Labour party was perfectly normal and respectable. The BMA, on the other hand, has always been a byword for trade union militancy so over-the-top that it makes the rail unions seem timid in comparison.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Wes Streeting warns junior doctors that going on strike for six months over pay would 'choke' NHS recovery - as poll shows public support plummeting
Wes Streeting warned junior doctors today that strike action would 'choke' the recovery of the NHS as he urged them to vote against a walk out in a row over pay. The Health Secretary squared up to the British Medical Association as a new poll suggested support for industrial action by medicals is falling. Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, in England are being balloted by the BMA for strike action which could last for six months. They are demanding a further 30 per cent uplift despite seeing their wages jump by 22.3 per cent last year. They have crippled the NHS by taking industrial action 11 times since 2022, forcing health bosses to cancel an estimated 1.5million appointments. But the British Medical Association is now threatening further walkouts unless Mr Streeting caves in again. But analysis by YouGov found that 48 per cent of Britons oppose the industrial action, while 39 per cent support it . YouGov said this 'marks a shift in opinion' of public support of striking junior doctors last summer, when the majority of Britons – 52 per cent – said they supported it. Writing in the Times, Mr Streeting said: 'We can't afford to return to a continuous cycle of stand-offs, strikes, and cancellations. 'Strikes should always be a last resort, and I don't think they are in anyone's interest today. 'I'm appealing to resident doctors to vote 'No' in the ballot, and instead continue the progress we've made, working together to rebuild our NHS.' Resident doctors said their pay has declined by '23 per cent in real terms since 2008'. If they choose to go on strike then walkouts could begin in July and could potentially last until January 2026. The Government accepted salary recommendations from pay review bodies earlier this month, resulting in an average 5.4 per cent rise for resident doctors. Writing for the newspaper, Mr Streeting stressed that 'we can't lose momentum', adding: 'There's so much more to do. But my message to anyone working in the health service is this: Stick with us. 'The NHS was broken, but it's not beaten. If we keep pulling together, we can turn it around.' A leading patients' organisation said it was 'deeply concerned' about the prospect of strike action over the busy winter period in the NHS. The Patients Association highlighted how previous strike action from doctors in training led to 1.3 million appointments, procedures and operations being postponed, with the true figure 'likely to be much higher'. BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said in a statement: 'Patients are all too aware how much the NHS relies on its resident doctors. 'With the announcement of yesterday's ballot, many will understandably be concerned about how future strike action might affect them getting care but it's important to stress that strike action is not inevitable and can be avoided. 'The Government has the power to honour its previous commitment to map out and restore doctors' pay, avoiding strikes entirely. 'We're confident that patients will recognise that the value of doctors has not diminished since 2008, but that working conditions and pay have. 'Wes Streeting must now step forward with a solution that allows us to stay with our patients, off the picket lines, and remain in this country rather than being driven to seek work abroad where doctors' unique skills and expertise are more appropriately valued. 'As the population ages and care becomes more complex, we need to make sure we retain doctors in the UK.' The ballot will close on July 7.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
DR MAX: This insatiable demand for higher doctors' pay looks tawdry and cynical. It makes me want to rip up my BMA membership card
Junior doctors are threatening to strike again. So what, you might say? When are they not threatening a walk-out? In the past two years, they have taken industrial action 11 times. This makes me really angry. My medical union, the British Medical Association (BMA), is squandering public respect for doctors, mangling facts and pursuing Left-wing crusades with no regard for the cost to the health service.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How long will Streeting hold out against the most militant union in the land?
Militant trade union action has become far less commonplace than it used to be. But one organisation remains as hard line as ever: the British Medical Association (BMA). It sent out ballot papers this week to junior doctors urging them to back strike action in support of a 25 per cent pay demand. Now known as 'resident' medics, they are threatening months of disruption despite seeing their pay jump by 29 per cent in just three years. During a recent protracted dispute they stopped work 11 times and forced the cancellation of an estimated 1.5 million appointments. It is unconscionable that the BMA is now prepared to inflict further misery on the public, most of whom have not seen anything like the pay rises enjoyed by its members. The doctors profess to cherish the NHS, yet by their actions they cut away at its ability to cope with financial and population pressures. When appointments are cancelled or operations postponed, patients have to go back to square one, often involving another trip to a GP for their treatment to be rescheduled. How many drop out at that point? The backlog of cases remains above seven million with no chance of a significant reduction if there is another dispute. The public, who might have had some sympathy for the doctors in the past, have evidently lost patience judging by recent opinion polls. Labour has made a rod for its own back by giving inflation-busting pay rises to others in the public sector. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, made much of the Tory failure to settle this dispute when he was in opposition. Now the boot is on the other foot. How long will he hold out against the most militant union in the land? Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Have you heard the best doctor joke yet? They want huge pay rise just after 22% deal. Here's where they can shove it
'DOCTOR, Doctor . . . since the operation I can't feel my legs.' 'That's because we've amputated your hands.' 5 Until this week, that was my favourite doctor joke. I mean, there was another one in really bad taste about dementia. But we won't go there. And even that wasn't as funny as the one I'm about to tell you. The doctors, they call themselves resident doctors now, by the way, have demanded more money from the government. Want to know how much? A pay rise of at least 29 per cent. Or more. I heard one trade union rep on Times Radio saying they should be asking for a rise of 50 per cent. That's not the punchline, though. The punchline is that they've just been given a pay rise already this week. Of 5.4 per cent, so way more than the rate of inflation. The British Medical Association has said this is nowhere near enough money and is urging the quacks to vote for strike action. So we are looking at another summer of misery and chaos in our hospitals with yet more strikes. The doctors say the reason they deserve more money is that their settlements have been below inflation every time. They say they have taken a massive real-terms pay cut since 2006. Listen, you mouth-breathing spazzocks. Everyone has taken real-term pay cuts since 2006. Nobody is quite as well off as they were then, that was before the economic crash. So, anyway, they're likely to be going on strike. Oh, there's another punchline. Do you know how much they received in their pay settlement two years ago, after they had been on strike? It was a gobsmacking 22 per cent. Wes Streeting brutally slams Kemi AND Farage and demands Tories say sorry for how they ran the NHS in blistering attack It is the absolute duty of our Health Secretary Wes Streeting and the Labour government to tell these docs to shove their pay rise right up their sphincters and into the duodenum canal. Or the Grand Union Canal, whichever is nearer. This country is broke. Largely a consequence of the economic mismanagement of Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor. We cannot afford to be splashing out enormous sums on ludicrous pay rises. The problem for Wes and co is that the doctors are loyal Labour voters. And Labour likes to reward its client base — and sod the economy. 5 As soon as Starmer got in the winter fuel payments for pensioners were scrapped and instead the train drivers got a massive pay rise. So Labour has partly created this mess itself, by giving the trade unions exactly what they want. And I can see Starmer saying: 'Well, it is a very generous pay deal. But we had to do it because we didn't want a summer of chaos in our hospitals.' Don't do it, Wes. Don't do it, Keir. While a year or so ago the public was fully behind the health workers in their battles for more dosh, it's nowhere near the truth now. A recent poll has suggested that support for the resident doctors has slipped from 52 per cent in the polls to 39 per cent today. So have some spine, Starmer. Call their bluff. Tell them they're getting 5.4 per cent and should be grateful. Because how many workers in the private sector have been getting pay awards like that? Have you? HOME WORK DODGE WELL, at least there's one poll the poor old UK comes top in. Yes, we have more people working from home than in any other European country. The average number of days spent sitting in front of Bangers & Cash, sorry, studiously working for your company, is 1.8 in the UK. In Europe it's 1.3. The only country worldwide that beats us is the basket case which is Canada. I have nothing against working from home – hell, I do it – so long as it means working from home. But too often it doesn't. And too often it's our public sector – who are generally already paid more on average, have more sick days and longer holidays than those in the private sector. You can't beat Black Lace's Agadoo, Zak 5 POOR old Zak Starkey. Will nobody give him a job as a drummer? He was 'retired' from The Who's tour because Roger Daltrey thought he played too loud. And now he's not available for his old band Oasis either. If he doesn't watch it, he'll end up on the Northern cabaret circuit keeping time for Black Lace on Agadoo. Zak was taught drums by the madman Keith Moon. I think that explains a lot. BLURT IT, BEEB 5 BYE bye, Gary. The BBC got itself in a terrible pickle over Mr Lineker. I think the bloke had every right to express his opinions. Even if they were always fairly stupid. And like as not, we will miss Gary from our screens. He was a much better broadcaster than his opponents gave him credit for. My answer to the BBC's conundrum is this. Let every employee speak his or her mind. Wherever they want. And then maybe we would see in glorious Technicolor the political bias of the corporation. And they would have to fess up and start to change it.
