Junior doctors in Scotland have followed their colleagues south of the border in voting to implement a 72-hour strike. No dates have been put forward for the strike yet, with the British Medical Association, that represents the junior doctors, awaiting a response from the Scottish Government.
More than 71% of the eligible 5,000 junior doctors voted, with 97% in favour of industrial action. A strike would impact planned operations, clinics, and GP appointments.
The junior doctors say that previous pay awards in Scotland had delivered real terms pay cuts of 23.5% since 2008. They also say that the 4.5% pay uplift recommended by the independent Doctors’ and Dentists’ Pay Review Body means that erosion of pay will be worse by the end of the year. They are seeking redress of this situation, asking for a 23.5% pay rise above inflation.
Doctor Chris Smith, the chair of the junior doctors committee for BMA Scotland, says that the situation in Scotland is critical, with 44% of junior doctors actively considering leaving the NHS.
Though negotiations are ongoing with the Scottish Government, the position of the Government is that the pay increase is unaffordable without cuts in other areas of the NHS. With talks now at an impasse, it looks as if there is a very real chance of the strikes going ahead.
Junior doctors are vital to the running of the NHS in Scotland and indeed do deserve a pay rise that reflects not just the vital work they do but the long hours they dedicate to their jobs.
A pay rise of 23.5% above inflation (which presently stands at 10.1%) does seem unaffordable given the present financial situation. But junior doctors are vital to the running of the NHS and the future of our nation, with newly qualified junior doctors making up 44% of the doctors presently working within NHS Scotland. A substantial uplift in their pay is certainly justified, as the average junior doctor makes only £14 an hour after five years of initial training.
The NHS and the Scottish Government both have elevated levels of waste in their budgets. The Government also allocates funds to areas where money could be saved, such as the forthcoming legal action against the Westminster government over the Gender Recognition Bill and the £6 million+ a year that they spend on offices in foreign countries. Reform of the NHS is required but, it being a thorny issue, the SNP have avoided any real moves to do this.
Ultimately, the way that we fund the NHS may need reform. Several options are on the table, but none will lead to easy conversations. However, to secure a viable future for the NHS, they are needed.
We need to break the cycle of adversarial pay negotiations and strike action that takes place on a weekly basis. There needs to be an open and honest forum for all the stakeholders to be able to sit round the table and come to a mutually beneficial agreement. We are seeing political interference from far-left activist union officers within the negotiating process who have agendas that go further than getting fair pay for their members and this needs to be removed.
Outside of increased pay for junior doctors, we also need to look at increasing the number of doctors that train each year and retaining them after their training is complete. This is not just to widen access to doctors for the public, but to free up the more than £82 million that is spent on locum doctors each year, and to take the pressure off junior doctors on the ward. Creating better working conditions and work/life balance for doctors is vital to encourage people into joining and staying in the profession.
