A junior doctor and members of the British Medical Association picket line outside Leeds General Hospital on Thursday. Their strike appears to continue despite the government's offer of pay. Photo: Danny Lawson/PA
Doctors are under pressure to accept pay increases of up to £7,000 and call off strikes after Rishi Sunak announced higher than expected wages. increases by one million public sector workers.
The PM said the government has supported the health service with record funding and urged unions to “make the NHS strong again” as he announced wage increases ranging from 5 to 7 percent.
Four education workers' unions immediately canceled planned strikes and accepted the government's plan to increase teacher salaries by 6.5% this year.
However, the British Medical Association (BMA) rejected the proposal, saying instead that the government 'missed a huge opportunity' to offer doctors a 'credible' pay raise.
This means that the longest junior doctors strike in NHS history will start on the second of five days on Friday, and consultants must also leave for two days next week.
The Prime Minister, who agreed to pay an increase of at least 6 percent for these groups, led a number of senior Tories to call for an end to the strikes.
Mr Sunak said on Thursday: “Today's offer is final. There will be no more salary talks. We will no longer be negotiating a settlement this year, and no strikes will change our decision.
“Instead, the agreement we reached today gives us a fair way to end strikes, a fair deal for workers and a fair deal for British taxpayers.”
Addressing unions directly, he said: “Now that we have met independent pay advice, I implore you to do the right thing and know when to say yes.
“In particular, I would say this for doctors and consultants. We have a national mission for all of us to make the NHS strong again.”
He asked, “How can it be right to continue destructive strikes?” adding that this would mean “Waiting lists will grow, not shrink.”
Steve Barclay , Minister of Health, called the approach “fair and reasonable” and reiterated that junior doctors would not be given higher offers.
A source close to Mr Barclay said: “The BMA must call off the strike immediately. Further strikes will benefit no one and put patients at risk.
“We provide fair and affordable wages. As the prime minister has made clear, any further strikes will not change this agreement.
“The time has come to end strikes and work together to reduce waiting lists.”
Steve Bryne, chairman of the House of Commons Health and Welfare Committee, said: “The government has made a choice today. The same is true of teachers' unions. I would ask the British Medical Association to equally make the choice and know when to say yes.
But Professor Phil Banfield, chairman of the board of the BMA, said: “The government is driving doctors away from the NHS and this country. He must wake up and realize the true cost of preserving the experience of doctors.
“Today he missed a great opportunity to make a credible proposal to end the strikes.
“This raise still doesn't work for tens of thousands of frontline employees and is unlikely to help keep a beleaguered, burned out and undervalued workforce.”
Professor Banfield later told LBC's Andrew Marr that more strikes were likely ” very high.”
'Doctors have started this in the long run'.
BMA Chairman @DrPhilBanfield tells @AndrewMarr9 that the likelihood of further strikes is “very high” despite the government's new proposal. pic.twitter.com/lNPJFhETYi
— LBC (@LBC) July 13, 2023
On Thursday, Mr. Sunak unveiled his long-awaited decision to raise wages for about a million public sector workers this year, given high inflation.
Premier the minister said at a press conference in Downing. Street that he would accept major pay raise recommendations from all payroll bodies, despite earlier suggestions that he might offer lower raises.
This meant a salary increase of 7% for police and prison staff, 6.5% for teachers, 5.5% for senior civil servants and 5% plus an additional £1,000 a year for the armed forces. .
Junior doctors were offered a 6 per cent salary increase plus an additional £1,250 a year. More experienced consultants received a 6% bonus.
For doctors, this means an increase from £3,000 to £7,000. The latter is among the highest paid consultants.
Doctors and dentists in training were also offered an average salary increase of 8.8%, slightly above the current inflation rate of 8.7%.
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The refusal to call off the strike immediately means junior doctors will continue the strike they started on Thursday until they return to work on Tuesday. The consultants then go on strike on Thursday and Friday the following week.
1,407 wage offers against a raise
The reaction of the BMA contrasts sharply with the heads of the Association of School and College Leaders, the National Association of School Principals, the National Association of School Teachers, the Union of Women Teachers and the National Education Union.
Now they will offer their members a 6.5% pay raise with a recommendation to accept it and cancel the strike.
The Prime Minister stated that neither loans nor tax increases were used to finance the additional costs, as the former would lead to inflation and the latter, in his opinion, was unfair.
Instead, a combination of increased fees for foreigners using the NHS and savings on existing departmental budgets.
The so-called 'Immigration Medical Surcharge' will increase from £624 a year to £1,035 a year – a jump of 66 per cent. Visa fees for people wishing to move to the UK will also rise.
But savings will also be needed at Whitehall, with an estimated £1bn needed this year and another £2bn next year.
Jeremy Hunt, chancellor, explained the government's broad approach on Twitter, saying:
We understand that they are unhappy with the way inflation has reduced their wages (as it does for everyone).
But if we give them a reward that will spur inflation, in next year we will have the same arguments.
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) July 13, 2023
Doctors' refusal to cancel strikes is the expectation of the NHS. lists are at their worst and the longest strike in NHS history threatens to cripple the health service.
A total of 7.47 million patients were waiting for treatment in England at the end of May, according to official figures released Thursday. the number has increased by 50,000 since April.
1407 Long waits for treatment
Hospital leaders have warned that repeated strikes are preventing them from treating patients faster and dealing with huge delays due to Covid.
< p>New an analysis of the General Practitioner Patient Survey by the Institute for Public Policy Research also found that patients are finding it increasingly difficult to make appointments and are turning to emergency and emergency departments for basic care.
In 2021 10 people percent of patients who said they tried to make an appointment did not get an appointment. In 2023, this figure rose to 16%.
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