‘I was earning more than that for part time work, 15 years ago! The wages are appalling. I had no idea.’
A doctor who works 40 hours a week in London, decided to share his salary on Twitter. His monthly net pay after deductions was just £1671.47.
On February 20, Souradip Mookerjee, a doctor at St Georges’ NHS Trust, tweeted:
“My salary as a doctor in London working 40h weeks after 9 years at uni at Cambridge and a phd #BMADoctorsVoteYes.”
The tweet sparked an immediate outpour of anger, gaining over 5 million views, and thousands of retweets and comments.
People asked in disbelief whether the figure included London weighting, as £1671 would just about over rent and public transport in London. The doctor informed that the salary did include London weighting, an allowance designed to help key workers with the higher cost of living in Greater London.
Followers shared their shock over the doctor’s salary.
“This shocks me. I don’t even know what to say. I wish you the very best. Thank you for your work,” one user posted.
“I was earning more than that for part time work, 15 years ago! The wages are appalling. I had no idea,” another wrote.
“Shocking. I got paid more than that in 2008 as a junior council officer. It would be reassuring to know that the highly trained and skilled doctors I rely on as a person with cancer aren’t worrying about how they are going to make rent,” someone added.
“Hardly surprising that Britain’s doctors are jumping ship,” said another.
‘No option but to take action’
The same day that the doctor posted details of his salary, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced junior doctors would walk out for 72 hours in March. More than 98 percent of junior doctors in England voted to strike over pay.
In a statement, the BMA said: “The results are in, and members have delivered a huge mandate – with the highest-ever number of junior doctors voting for strike action and a record turnout. A huge thank you to all of those who voted.”
It added that junior doctors have “no option but to take action.”
“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,” said the BMA
The association is urging the government to engage with them and address doctors’ concerns, as so far they have refused to meet with them.
“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,” the BMA added.
Meanwhile, the health and social care secretary Steve Barclay said it was “deeply disappointing” that junior doctors voted to strike.
In a statement on February 20, Barclay said: “We hugely value the work of junior doctors and it is deeply disappointing some union members have voted for strike action.
“As part of a multi-year deal we agreed with the BMA, junior doctors pay has increased by a cumulative 8.2% since 2019/20. We also introduced a higher pay band for the most experienced staff and increased rates for night shifts.
“I’ve met with the BMA and other medical unions to discuss what is fair and affordable, as well as wider concerns around conditions and workload. I want to continue discussing how we can make the make the NHS a better place to work for all.”
Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
Image credit: Twitter screengrab
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