Latest news with #strikeaction
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Striking junior doctors no longer have public's backing, Wes Streeting says
Doctors no longer have the support of the public for strike action, Wes Streeting has warned, urging them to vote against proposed walkouts this week. Resident doctors in England, formerly known as junior doctors, are demanding a massive 29 per cent pay uplift to end the ongoing cycle of strikes that has caused 'so much harm to patients and the wider healthcare system'. They have started receiving ballots for renewed industrial action after ministers last week announced that most doctors would receive a 4 per cent pay rise following the latest review of public sector pay, with resident doctors to receive an extra £750 on top of the uplift. While the British Medical Association (BMA), the union representing doctors, said the pay rise does not go far enough in restoring historical pay freezes, Mr Streeting warned: 'We can't afford to return to a continuous cycle of stand-offs, strikes, and cancellations.' Resident doctor members of the BMA have taken industrial action 11 times since 2022, with NHS England estimating the walkouts led to almost 1.5 million appointments being cancelled or rescheduled. Writing in The Times, Mr Streeting said: 'The public supported the previous strikes against a government delivering real terms cuts to resident doctors' pay. But patients are now opposed to strike action. 'Following the significant pay rises delivered over the past ten months, they can see that this government is committed to a fair deal for NHS staff. Nor do patients want to see the green shoots of recovery choked off by strike action.' His comments mark a drastic shift in tone from the approach he took last year, when he brought months of strike action to an end by handing them a 22 per cent pay rise within weeks of entering office. This year, they were awarded another inflation-busting pay rise of 5.4 per cent. He has now appealed to doctors to vote 'No' in the ballot and instead 'continue the progress we've made, working together to rebuild our NHS.' 'Strikes should always be a last resort, and I don't think they are in anyone's interest today', he warned. It came after a new poll of 4,100 British adults by YouGov found that 48 per cent of Britons oppose resident doctors going on strike, while 39 per cent support them taking action. 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. It highlighted how Labour supporters were most supportive of strike action, with Conservatives expressing the strongest opposition. But warning that 'fixing pay….cannot wait for different fiscal circumstances', junior doctors have now asked for their pay to be restored to 2008 levels, which they argue would require a 28.7 per cent rise when taking inflation into account. Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: 'Last week the government finally told us what it would do to restore the pay of doctors: almost nothing. 'Doctors have seen their pay decline by 23 per cent in real terms since 2008. No doctor today is worth less than they were then, but at the rate the Government is offering it would be over a decade before we once again reached that level of pay. 'As ballots once again fall through doctors' letterboxes, we are simply saying: the NHS does not have that time. Waiting lists are too high, too many people can't see their GP, too many patients are being treated in corridors. 'Doctors need to be kept in the country and in their career not in 10 or 20 years' time, but now.' Earlier this week, writing in The Independent, Mr Streeting admitted the NHS treats doctors 'like crap', acknowledging that pay was not the only thing doctors were unhappy about. 'They are rightly angry about the way they are treated by their employer. So am I', he said. 'The NHS can be a bad employer at the moment, which ends up being bad for taxpayers and patients too. We spend hundreds of thousands of pounds training people, only to treat them like crap and cause them to leave to work in another health service or another career altogether.' Speaking to Sky News, water minister Emma Hardy urged junior doctors to vote against strike action and 'continue talking to the government, because we need to continue to deliver the improvements in our NHS that patients desperately need.' 'We hugely value everybody who works in the NHS, and we hugely value our doctors. That's why they've had a 20 year increase in their salary compared to three years ago, and why we're offering an above inflation pay rise', she said. The increase that was recommended by the independent pay review body is above the rate of inflation, which jumped to 3.5 per cent in April, up from 2.6 per cent in March and the highest since January 2024. But Professor Philip Banfield, the BMA's chairman of council, warned that doctors' pay is 'still around a quarter less than it was in real terms 16 years ago', adding that the pay award 'delays pay restoration even more, without a government plan or reassurance to correct this erosion of what a doctor is worth.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Health Secretary tells doctors to help ‘rebuild our NHS' amid strike action ballot
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called on doctors to reject strike action, citing a recent poll indicating that nearly half of the British public opposes the proposed walkouts. The British Medical Association (BMA) is currently balloting resident doctors in England, formerly known as junior doctors, regarding potential strike action that could extend for six months. The Health Secretary has urged doctors to vote against the strikes. "We can't afford to return to a continuous cycle of stand-offs, strikes, and cancellations," he said. In a column for The Times, Mr. Streeting wrote: "Strikes should always be a last resort, and I don't think they are in anyone's interest today." He added: "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." This appeal follows a YouGov poll of 4,100 British adults, which revealed that 48 per cent of Britons oppose resident doctors striking, while 39 per cent support such action. 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. It highlighted how Labour supporters were most supportive of strike action, with Conservatives expressing the strongest opposition. 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.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Health secretary urges no strikes as ballot of UK junior doctors begins
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, has urged doctors to vote against industrial action as the British Medical Association (BMA) ballots resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, for strike action that could last for six months. Writing in the Times on Thursday, Streeting said: 'We can't afford to return to a continuous cycle of standoffs, 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 say their pay has declined by 23% in real terms since 2008. If they choose to go on strike, walkouts could begin in July and potentially last until January 2026. The government accepted salary recommendations from pay review bodies earlier this month, resulting in an average 5.4% rise for resident doctors. The Patients Association said it was 'deeply concerned' about the prospect of strike action over the busy winter period in the NHS. Previous strike action from doctors in training led to 1.3m appointments, procedures and operations being postponed, it said, with the true figure 'likely to be much higher'. BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Melissa Ryan and 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.' 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.' With PA Media
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
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.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Shift in public support for striking doctors
Almost half of of the British public oppose resident doctors going on strike, a new poll suggests. Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, in England are being balloted for strike action by the British Medical Association (BMA). If they choose to strike then walk outs could last for six months. A new poll of 4,100 British adults by YouGov found that 48% of Britons oppose resident doctors going on strike, while 39% support them taking action. YouGov said this 'marks a shift in opinion' of public support of striking junior doctors last summer, when the majority of Britons – 52% – said they supported it. It highlighted how Labour supporters were most supportive of strike action, with Conservatives expressing the strongest opposition. Resident doctors said their pay has declined by '23% in real terms since 2008'. If they choose to go on strike then walk outs could begin in July and could potentially last until January 2026. 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'. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said on Tuesday: 'I understand the anxiety and anger that resident doctors have felt and continue to feel about their part of the profession – over 14 years, they saw the NHS that they were working in slide into crisis. '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%. 'The result is that resident doctors have seen their pay increase by 28.9% 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.' The ballot will close on July 7.
