Sheffield Trade Union Council says: “The Government is WRONG to cut the real value of pay for Junior Doctors by 25%”
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We should all support the Doctors and NHS professionals on unprecedented 5-day strike from tomorrow Thursday 13th –18th July
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Sheffield trade unionists and other supporters will join the Junior Doctors picket line outside Hallamshire Hospital between 8am and 12 noon on Thursday 13th July
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“The Government is WRONG to cut the real pay of NHS Junior Doctors by 25%”” says Martin Mayer, Secretary Sheffield TUC. “The Government is also WRONG to blame public sector wage demands for inflation when real incomes have been falling -not rising! – and everyone knows inflation is being caused by many other factors, including speculation and profiteering. Above all the Government is WRONG to allow our underfunded and overstretched NHS to face crisis-point because of their negligence and disregard for our much valued public services,” added Martin Mayer.
Tomorrow, Thursday 13th July marks the start of an unprecedented 5-day strike by Junior Doctors, some of whom earn as little as £14 per hour. The British Medical Association (BMA) represents the majority of Junior Doctors and they will be joined by the TUC-affiliated Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) who are also on strike for the same dates.
“We love our NHS and our hard-working, dedicated health professionals deserve much better than this, “said Martin Mayer, “and that’s why we are supporting them. The real reason this Government won’t give them a proper pay rise is because they are more interested in cutting spending to make a tax give-away before next election, than to properly fund and support a publicly owned NHS”.
BMA says: “While workload and waiting lists are at record highs, junior doctors’ pay has been cut by more than a quarter since 2008. A crippling cost-of-living crisis, burnout and well below inflation pay rises risk driving hard working doctors out of their profession at a time when we need them more than ever. To protect the NHS, the Government must engage and address doctors’ concerns. But so far, they have refused to meet with us. This has left doctors with no other option but to vote on whether to take industrial action. If junior doctors are forced out of the NHS because of poor pay and conditions, the services we all rely on to look after our loved ones will suffer.
HCSA says: “This year, junior doctors in England were given a pay uplift of only 2 percent. Meanwhile, inflation is sky-high, and costs of living have risen dramatically. This situation is not new. Junior doctors have experienced real terms wage decline since 2008. And since the start of the current four-year fixed pay deal – opposed by HCSA – junior doctors have been locked out of higher pay awards every single year. We recognise that the DDRB pay review system is broken. HCSA is campaigning for reform. But the situation is urgent, and so HCSA is calling for junior doctors in England to participate in a full industrial ballot and show the government we will not put up with pay cuts. The NHS cannot afford to continue losing us to careers abroad or outside of medicine. That’s why HCSA Junior Doctors are campaigning for pay restoration.
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