AIBU to think a potential 2% pay rise for the NHS staff is ridiculous?

www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/junior-doctors-to-be-called-resident-doctors

Yet that's not the term they themselves use on their placards!

*Whyhaveibeencutoutofmamsnot *

My understanding is that junior doctors have completed a medical degree and foundation training and have anywhere up to 8 years experience. At the top of the scale they currently earn £73,000 (or £78,000 in London) - which would equate to £98,550 or £105,300 with the 35% pay rise they are demanding.

I was speaking to a couple of consultants about the strike last week and they said that the jobs of junior doctors are secure. Apologies if they were wrong.

There's been a recent movement towards adopting the term resident doctors for grades below consultant as it is less infantilising on these very intelligent hardworking professionals

Where the hell do you get the cracked idea that junior doctors jobs are secure.
The have two years foundation which could be anywhere in in the country followed by competitive applications to the CT1 training for three years again anywhere in the country if lucky to get a post and then competitive applications to specialist training again anywhere in the country if lucky. Once started will be rotated around hospitals within the region (IE the whole of Scotland).
If not successful in gaining training posts then it will a series of one year posts covering maternity leave or more likely go abroad (unless like many 30+ year olds will have a partner here with a career maybe a baby or two)

Doesn't junior doctor mean all hospital doctors except consultants? Their pay scale running up to £73k or £78k in London with automatic progression and jobs security, with the addition of pensions, holidays etc.

They call themselves Junior Doctors. That's what they always have on their placards. Nothing to do with their age but all to do with their medical status.

The pay rise offer has been delayed again, and that's the point I was making this morning about the government now being in place and hopefully getting on with it soon. I don't see it this side of autumn because of recess so we are in limbo.
Private sector have at least been told it's nothing or 1% or whatever in April when it was due. Benefits and MPs salary all went up, my bills all went up and I'm back to being worse off than I was a year ago.
It's not difficult to give a figure when it's due and pay people properly for the jobs they are doing.
It wasn't an argument at private sector, it's a point that it's been delayed for another year and staff are fed up and leaving. 40,000 extra appointments won't be achievable unless the pay is sorted

Most of these comments are focused on lower banded roles which is understandable because they are most hit by inflation. However, people need to remember that poor pay rises directly results in people (both lower and higher banded) leaving their roles.

I’m a psychologist and so I’m well paid in compared to other NHS staff, but many of my colleagues are leaving for private work. The NHS pay (while good) doesn’t make up for the stress of the job combined with the 10 years of study needed to do it. I know many many medical dr’s planning to go fully private too. The NHS won’t survive if it can’t retain its staff.

I've got colleagues trying to stop people from actively trying to kill themselves, getting spat at, beaten up, verbally and racially abused, and defusing volatile and difficult situations with people who are acutely unwell, but yes, I'm sure Band 2 jobs aren't difficult at all. 🙄

1. If everybody was given a raise in line with inflation, inflation would just continue to increase.

2. Private sector workers are definitely not all getting more than a few % raise. For a lot of them it is no raise at all.

@caringcarer it’s not ridiculous. It may look excessive, but I trust they know better what they’re on about, when taking into account how salaried have stalled. Also, I think we don’t call them Junior Doctors, some will be closer to 40 or older than to student years. Inflation was as high as 10% not that long ago, also higher than 2% when I wrote my post that you’ve revived on this thread.

I'm not disagreeing that life might be hard and until very recently inflation was higher. I was just being factual that inflation is currently 2 percent. It might go lower next month once the price cap for utilities is taken into account. I do think 2 percent is too low but possibly 3 percent would be fairer. The 35 percent Junior Doctors are demanding is ridiculous.

We're getting pushed and pushed to try to down-band roles as well - and there's no reflection of complexity of caseload and client group. I've recently moved up to a band 6, but when I was a new band 5, the clients I was working with and safeguarding, risky behaviour etc were no way equal to peers who had gone into an "easier" client group sitting working through clinics every day.

Until I had started the role had always been a B6, now it's been normalised at B5 rate - and surprisingly - we struggle to recruit to it!

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9428/

This explains it better. It is 2% now, was up to 10% a year ago. Increase of 22% in food prices from one year to the next. Benefits increased by 6% to keep up with inflation etc. The bottom line is that life is harder for all but the very rich.

Those of us on agenda for change

It depends which NHS staff.

Inflation is currently 2 percent.

No one I know in the private sector received any inflationary pay rise this year. Me and my friends and family often talk about it. We used to get them annually, none of has for 3 years now.

Your salary has not changed. All that has happened is the constant raising of minimum wage has eroded the benefit of marginally higher paid jobs.

I am not against lowering the minimum wage because those people struggle when we face inflation. But it does mean working in difficult jobs for low pay, such as low band NHS work, is no longer worthwhile.

You cannot beat the system op. So either go and work in a shop for the same money or do some career progression.

My private sector job got a 0% pay rise this year and my employer contributes 3% to my pension.

It’s not a private sector utopia.

@socks1107 as much as I would love a raise give them a chance.

Election over, talks for junior doctors so where is our proposal? The paper has been published so surely it's time to make the offer

Is the pension a ‘great perk’ for young people going into the NHS at age 21? Will it even be crossing their minds when they’re thinking about how to afford rent, food, and maybe even starting a family? How on earth would they consider something they might get in 40 years’ time?

Blossomtoes here's the IFS and Nuffield Trust on the NHS funding gap.

www.nhsconfed.org/podcast/state-public-finances-what-next-government-inherit