Whilst BBC Breakfast told no-one available in UK government for interview during junior doctors’ strike in England
The British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland and the Scottish Government will enter formal pay negotiations for junior doctors it was announced this afternoon.
This comes as junior doctors in England urge Steve Barclay the Health Secretary to come to the table and make them an offer on the second day of their four-day strike.
BMA Scotland will continue balloting their members for industrial action, hoping that a strike mandate will put extra pressure on the government during the negotiations, which they will announce dates for soon.
The decision to progress to pay negotiations followed a meeting between Dr Chris Smith of the BMA and Scottish Health Secretary Matheson Michael, who said junior doctors are ‘vital to the NHS’ and that he is ‘committed’ to progressing the pay talks.
This compares to the situation in England right now as Dr Trivedi, co-chair of the BMA junior doctors committee, called on junior doctors to ‘stick together’ at a rally in London yesterday and warned them of the government’s ‘divide and conquer’ strategy, highlighting instances of newspaper ‘hit jobs’ in the dispute.
The UK government has been criticised for their media absence, with BBC Breakfast appealing to the government on their show this morning for a live interview with a Health Minister, but that no one has been made available.
However media outlets have chosen to focus their attention one of the BMA leader’s for being on holiday this week at a friend’s wedding.
Commenting so far on the strikes, Steve Barclay has said the timing of the walkout was ‘regrettable’ and putting patients at ‘greater risk’, he has also said that a 35% pay demand was ‘not fair or reasonable’.
MP Diane Abbott has criticised the ‘savagely hostile’ coverage of the junior doctors’ strike this week, saying it has failed to hold the government culpable for the strike action and put all the blame on doctors.
Dr Phil Banfield summarised the 35% pay restoration demand from junior doctors to Times Radio, emphasising that it is about ‘putting back lost pay across the last 10-15 years,’ and that it is ‘exactly the same’ pay rise figure that MPs have had over that time periods.
“Junior doctors and senior doctors are leaving the service because they do not feel valued… this is about restoring the value for doctors who are not worth less now than they were in 2008.”
Junior doctors are calling on the Health Minister and government to make them a credible offer that they can consider and put a stop the strike action.
Hannah Davenport is trade union reporter at Left Foot Forward
(Photo credit: Sky News / YouTube)
Left Foot Forward’s trade union reporting is supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust
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