Doctors ‘looking for £20,000 raise’
Strikers’ pay demands would mean some juniors receiving huge pay rise, warns Health Secretary
JUNIOR doctors’ pay demands would result in some receiving an “unrealistic” £20,000 salary increase, the Health Secretary has said in the lead-up to the latest strike action.
Steve Barclay described the British Medical Association’s (BMA) pay demands as “widely out of step” at a time of “considerable economic pressure” on the country.
Up to 47,600 junior doctors will walk out for 96 hours between 6.59am on Tuesday and 6.59am on Saturday in their ongoing dispute over pay.
Concerns have been raised that the BMA selected next week’s dates to have “maximum impact” on patients.
Ministers held a Cobra meeting last week to discuss the action, The Sunday Telegraph understands, with Mr Barclay and Oliver Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, present.
A government source said: “It was very tense. There was a lot of concern about the effects the strikes will have and concern the BMA picked the dates to have maximum impact on patients.”
The union is demanding a 35 per cent salary increase to “resolve 15 years of pay erosion”. Talks between the BMA and Mr Barclay became deadlocked after they refused to back down from this, or suspend strikes to engage in negotiations, ministers said.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, the Health Secretary said he valued the “important work junior doctors do every day” and confirmed he wanted to see a “fair deal that increases their pay”.
But, he added: “I think the public also expects that any deal will be fair to taxpayers and not put our efforts to tackle inflation at risk.
“Asking for a rise that is over eight times what the [Office for Budget Responsibility] is forecasting as inflation evidently does not meet that test.”
For some junior doctors, a rise of that size would mean they would earn more than an extra £20,000 a year, he added. A medic on a salary of more than £57,000 would be boosted to £77,000.
Other health unions and the Government have agreed a pay deal, consisting of a 5 per cent pay rise for next year, and a bonus of up to 6 per cent for the current year. Members of the Royal College of Nursing, among others, are currently voting on whether to accept the offer.
But talks between the BMA and ministers have stalled because the leaders of the junior doctors’ committee have maintained this “unrealistic position”, Mr Barclay added.
During last month’s 72-hour walkout, more than 175,000 appointments and elective procedures were cancelled or postponed. The NHS is dealing with a record backlog of more than 7.2million people waiting for treatment, and more than 250,000 appointments are set to be affected by the latest action.
The Health Secretary also warned this week’s action is likely to cause “significantly more disruption” than any of the previous walkouts, because of the Easter Bank Holiday, school holidays, Ramadan and Passover.
Dr Mike Greenhalgh, deputy co-chair of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, told BBC One’s Breakfast: “It’s hard to negotiate when only one side is doing it and we’re not getting anything back from the Government on that front.”
He added: “We’re happy to meet at any time. We would still meet [Mr Barclay] over the weekend before the industrial action. And if he was to bring a credible offer to us, it could still, even at this late stage, avert action.”
The Department of Health and Social Care has insisted the BMA has to call off the strike for negotiations to take place.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director, said: “This next round of strikes will see unparalleled levels of disruption, and we are very concerned about the potential severity of impact on patients and services across the country.
“The action immediately follows a four-day bank holiday weekend, which is already difficult as many staff are taking much-needed holiday, and it will be more extensive than ever before.”
‘I think the public expects any deal will be fair to taxpayers and not put tackling inflation at risk’
For anyone working in the NHS, the Easter weekend is usually a period of even greater pressure than usual. A&E departments are traditionally very busy over the bank holiday break, while in many services nurses, doctors and other staff are rightly taking some much-needed time off. That is why the four-day strike by junior doctors starting on Tuesday threatens to cause significantly more disruption than previous NHS walkouts.
Junior doctors are vital to the running of the NHS. Often a junior doctor will be the first clinician that a patient sees in hospital. I recognise their hard work and dedication. But it is deeply disappointing that this industrial action has been timed by the British Medical Association (BMA) Junior Doctors Committee to cause maximum disruption to both patients and other NHS staff.
Not only does the 96-hour walkout come straight after the Easter weekend, but it is also longer than previous strikes. And it coincides with school holidays, Ramadan and Passover. This means NHS trusts have fewer staff to fill the gaps. As a result, there will be knock-on effects to services before and after the strike on top of the disruption during the action.
The Junior Doctors Committee is calling for a pay increase of
35 per cent. This demand is widely out of step with pay settlements in other parts of the public sector at a time of considerable economic pressure on our country. A salary hike of this size would see some junior doctors receiving more than an extra £20,000 a year. I value the important work junior doctors do every day, and I want to see a fair deal that increases their pay. But I think the public also expects any agreement to be fair to taxpayers and not put our efforts to tackle inflation at risk. Asking for a pay rise that is more than eight times what the OBR is forecasting as inflation evidently does not meet that test.
Unfortunately, the decision by BMA junior doctors’ leaders to maintain an unrealistic position meant we were unable to make progress with talks. It seems they are intent on maintaining a militant stance rather than working with the Government and NHS management to meet the best interests of their members and of patients.
During the previous walkout by junior doctors in March, around 180,000 appointments had to be rescheduled. This came at a time when staff were already working hard to tackle record waiting lists resulting from the pandemic. The Department of Health has been working closely with NHS England on contingency plans to help protect patient safety during strikes by prioritising emergency, urgent and critical care – but significant disruption is inevitable.
Core services including emergency treatment, critical care, maternity care, neo-natal care and trauma will be prioritised during the strike. But I am concerned that the walkout carries a considerable risk to patient safety. Our advice remains the same as during previous NHS strikes – if you need urgent medical care then you should continue to come forward. Call 999 in a life-threatening emergency, but otherwise use NHS 111 online as your first port of call for health needs. Please continue to attend any GP or hospital appointments unless told otherwise.
I remain determined to find a fair and affordable offer that recognises the important work of junior doctors within the NHS while protecting the Government’s commitment to halve inflation – just as we have done with the unions representing other NHS staff, including nurses and paramedics. We cannot, however, negotiate until the BMA confirms it is pausing next week’s strike and moving significantly from its position of 35 per cent.
Without this, I regrettably see no prospect of getting into serious talks. I urge the BMA to work constructively with us so we can find a rapid resolution to this dispute.
The British Medical Association’s militant stance is hampering serious talks over pay