Latest news with #EdwardArgar
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Resident doctors lose public support for strikes after bumper pay rises
Resident doctors have lost the public's support to strike after receiving inflation-busting pay rises, a poll has suggested. The medics, formerly known as junior doctors, are currently voting on staging another six months of walkouts despite receiving an almost 30 per cent pay rise within three years. The British Medical Association's (BMA) resident doctors' committee is urging members to vote in favour of strike action, claiming they are paid 23 per cent less in real-terms than they were in 2008. A new poll of 4,100 British adults by YouGov found that 48 per cent of Britons oppose resident doctors going on strike, while just 39 per cent support them taking action. The pollsters said this 'marks a shift in opinion' of public support with a survey last summer finding 52 per cent of Britons were in support of striking junior doctors. The doctors have taken to picket lines on 11 separate occasions since beginning industrial action. Last week it was announced they would receive an inflation-busting 5.4 per cent pay rise for this financial year, double what was initially budgeted for by the Government and more than the 3.6 per cent given to other staff. This follows a 22 per cent uplift that the BMA's members voted to accept from Labour last year to end its dispute. But less than a year later they are threatening to go on strike again with a ballot set to close on July 7. If they choose to go on strike, then walk outs could begin in July and could potentially last until January 2026. Conservative MPs told The Telegraph how Labour's decision to 'cave in' to unions on winning the general election last year emboldened them. Edward Argar, the Tory shadow health secretary, said Labour 'were warned that caving in to union demands last year for above-inflation pay rises, with no strings attached, risked fuelling further disruption'. Steve Barclay, the former Conservative health secretary, said the Government had 'repeatedly caved in to demands in its first year, whether indicating this week to its backbenchers on the two-child benefit payments, to their trade union paymasters without improvements in productivity and to trade partners like the EU on fishing and with the Chagos Island payments.' The pay rises for NHS staff on the agenda for change banding system – which does not include doctors – is set to cost the Government an extra £1 billion per year alone. The YouGov poll also highlighted that Labour supporters were most supportive of strike action, with Conservative voters most likely to oppose them. A leading patients' organisation said it was 'deeply concerned' about the prospect of strike action over the busy winter period in the NHS. Rachel Power, the chief executive of the Patients' Association, called for both sides to resolve the dispute quickly after the last series of industrial action 'caused so much harm to patients', delaying millions of appointments and costing more than £2 billion. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, said on Tuesday that he understood 'the anxiety and anger that resident doctors have felt and continue to feel about their part of the profession'. 'That's why, within weeks of coming into office, I was determined to resolve the pay dispute and give resident doctors a substantial pay rise. That's now being followed by another above-inflation average pay award of 5.4 per cent,' he said. 'The result is that resident doctors have seen their pay increase by 28.9 per cent compared to three years ago. The average starting salary of a full-time resident doctor is now around £38,800 - up nearly £9,500 since 2022/23. 'I want to work in partnership with resident doctors to deliver the change that the NHS is crying out for.' Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, the BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs, said: '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.' 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.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Junior doctors demand another 30pc pay rise in strike threat
Resident doctors are demanding another 30 per cent pay rise as Labour faces a 'summer of discontent'. The medics, previously known as junior doctors, are threatening more walkouts despite getting a pay rise that they sought three years ago. Tory MPs warned the Government was paying the price for 'caving in to trade union paymasters' as the doctors look to bring the NHS to a halt again. Teachers, nurses and airport staff are among the other workers considering walkouts this summer and could be spurred on by the doctors' success, critics warned. Edward Argar, the Tory shadow health secretary, told the Telegraph Labour 'were warned that caving in to union demands last year for above-inflation pay rises, with no strings attached, risked fuelling further disruption'. 'Now, with the possibility of a summer of discontent looming, that warning could turn into reality,' he said, adding 'calls for strikes could spread to other unions, with the BMA potentially ushering in the start of a summer of strikes '. Mr Argar also said the Government should 'urgently set out how these new pay deals will be funded without cutting services'. It comes after resident doctors received an inflation-busting 5.4 per cent pay rise for this financial year, double what was initially budgeted for by the Government. This follows a 22 per cent uplift they accepted from Labour last year. The British Medical Association (BMA) resident doctors' committee is calling on the medics to vote in favour of strikes to try and secure an even higher pay rise. All other NHS staff on the Agenda for Change banding system, including nurses, have been given a 3.6 per cent rise for 2025-26. Many are now considering industrial action of their own. Steve Barclay, the former Conservative Health Secretary, said the Labour Government had 'repeatedly caved in to demands in its first year, whether indicating this week to its backbenchers on the two-child benefit payments, to their trade union paymasters without improvements in productivity and to trade partners like the EU on fishing and with the Chagos Island payments'. The Department of Health said the cost of the increase in pay and pensions for staff, not including doctors, would cost an extra £1 billion per year. The pay rises will eat into the extra NHS money allocated by Rachel Reeves in October's budget, with the prospect of capital funding for improving buildings and technology being raided once again. Helga Pile, the head of health at Unison, which represents NHS staff, said the decision to increase doctors' pay by more than other employees again had left nurses, paramedics, porters, and cleaners feeling 'less valued than their doctor colleagues' and warned it would 'generate more discontent from an already demoralised workforce'. Professor Nicola Ranger, Royal College of Nursing general secretary and chief executive, said it was a 'grotesque decision' and that 'this pay award is entirely swallowed up by inflation and does nothing to change the status quo – where nursing is not valued, too few enter it and too many quit'. The College is consulting its members on the pay award. 'Deeply concerned' Rachel Power, the chief executive of the Patients' Association, said she was 'deeply concerned' at the prospect of further strikes after the last series of industrial action 'caused so much harm to patients', delaying millions of appointments and costing more than £2 billion. Further industrial action would be a huge blow to Labour's pledge to tackle the NHS backlog, which still stands at 7.42 million. Resident doctors staged 11 separate walkouts after entering a dispute with the Government in 2022 when they demanded a 30 per cent pay rise over five years. Dr Melissa Ryan, the BMA resident doctors' committee co-chair, said doctors' pay was '23 per cent down on 2008' and that those starting should have their pay increased from '£17.50 an hour to just under £23 an hour'. 'Anxiety and anger' The doctors would need around a 30 per cent increase to get back to that level as part of their campaign for 'pay restoration'. The average starting salary has increased by almost £10,000 in three years to £38,800. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, said he understood the 'anxiety and anger' of doctors, which was 'why within weeks of coming into office, I was determined to resolve the pay dispute and give resident doctors a substantial pay rise'. He said: 'That's now being followed by another above-inflation average pay award of 5.4 per cent. 'The result is that resident doctors have seen their pay increase by 28.9 per cent compared to three years ago'. Teaching unions have also refused to rule out potential strike action after criticising the Government for failing to fully fund teacher pay rises next year. 'Register a dispute' Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, announced last week that teachers in England will receive a four per cent pay uplift in 2025-26, with the Government providing £615 million of funding to help schools with the costs of salary increases. She said headteachers would have to fund the first one per cent of the pay awards from their existing budgets, but unions have insisted the actual figure is around 2.3 per cent, forcing schools to make sweeping cuts. The National Education Union (NEU), which is the UK's largest teaching union and has around 500,000 members, said it would now 'register a dispute with the Government' unless ministers promise to fully fund the offer. A second teaching union, NASUWT, has also promised to launch industrial action if next year's pay rises have to be funded through cuts in school budgets. Matt Wrack, the former head of the Fire Brigades Union who was controversially appointed NASUWT leader last month, said the union 'will be carefully considering the implications' of the Government's latest offer. Together, the two organisations represent the bulk of England's teaching workforce, while smaller and more moderate teaching unions are also unhappy about ministers' latest pay offer. Labour also faces the prospect of the bin strikes in Birmingham rumbling on, while various airport employees are also striking, or considering striking, at Gatwick, Heathrow, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Labour embarrassed over claims of 'massive increase' in NHS appointments as analysis reveals rise was smaller than under Tories
Labour has been accused of exaggerating a rise in NHS appointments after figures revealed increases were lower than under the Tories. Figures obtained by the news verification charity Full Fact found that the 3.6 million additional hospital appointments provided between July and February this year was significantly lower than the 4.2 million extra during the same eight-month period a year previously under the Tories. The data undermines claims that Labour had got to grips with the NHS waiting list crisis after 14 years of Tory rule, because the figures were already improving under Rishi Sunak 's Goverment. Labour rode to General Election victory with a manifesto which included a promise to 'deliver an extra two million NHS operations, scans, and appointments every year' in England. But Full Fact's figures, obtained from the NHS under Freedom of Information laws, suggest a slowing down in activity under Labour. Edward Argar MP, Shadow Secretary of State Health and Social Care, accused the Government - and Health Secretary Wes Streeting - of misleading the public. He said: 'What Labour has tried to spin as delivering a manifesto commitment is, in reality, a marginal increase in the overall total, that reflects long-standing and pre-existing trends in more appointments. This is a weak attempt by the Government to claim credit for something that was already happening. 'What Wes Streeting needs to do is talk less, and deliver more - we need to see real and meaningful reform that will genuinely move the dial for patients.' West Streeting, pictured, previously said Labour has ushers in a 'massive increase' in NHS hospital appointments - something contradicted by NHS data Earlier this year, Mr Streeting said 'real progress' had been made in tackling the 'disastrous waiting list we inherited' when Labour came to power last summer. He said: 'We have overseen a massive increase in appointments available to meet rising demand, reduced long waits and helped people get diagnosed quicker.' In percentage terms, the 3.6 million rise is 7.7 per cent more than in the same eight-month period the year before. But it follows rises of 10.1 per cent and 8.0 per cent in the previous two years under the Tories, Full Fact said. Leo Benedictus, a journalist with the charity, said: 'This new data adds much-needed context to the Government's claims about the NHS, and it should not have required a Freedom of Information request for it to be released. 'If politicians are unwilling to be transparent about their promises, voters have every reason to wonder what is hidden in the small print they don't share.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'On entering office last July, the Secretary of State was advised that the fiscal blackhole meant elective appointments would have to be cut by 20,000 every week. 'Instead, this government provided the extra investment and has already delivered 3.6 million additional appointments – more than the manifesto commitment the British public voted for – while also getting more patients seen within 18 weeks. 'Waiting lists have fallen faster since July than any year since 2009. In the nine months since this government took office, the waiting list has dropped by over 200,000 - more than five times as much as it had over the same period the previous year - and also fell for six consecutive months in a row. We are making progress where it matters.
