Rishi Sunak is working on tough new anti-strike laws

The stories about her (potentially, yet to be proven) trying to use her influence to secure a contract by sending an aggressive email which Matt Hancock took no action on and then called out as being wrong? Yes

Isn't this an example of the process working....?!

Or am I missing something?

Did you even try to read with comprehension?

It's not the striking people putting the country at risk. It's greedy and incompetent bosses.

Test and trace is a valid example. The point is if you're looking for the £ to stack up, you will find this money bamboozled away by the government. Hope this helps!

@ExpectMore have you even read the papers about Michelle Mone and her equally well connected husband this week?

Yet the public sector is being held to ransom, if I worked for a private company I could ask for a pay rise and if I didn't get it promotions at other companies are plentiful. We also have a sideline so although not struggling, the thought of keeping up my day job for the next 30 years at ever decreasing pay (nhs pay has been cut in real terms for the last 10 years) doesn't appeal. If things don't change in the next few years once DS is at secondary school, the NHS is likely to lose two experienced members of the team for no other reason than we no longer feel valued for our experience or skills. Repeat that 100 of times across the country and soon people will be crying out that the public sector lacks experience to get the job done.

I would love to see this become a workers revolution we need to focus public spending on education, health and security with the right investments for growth. I would love to see an end to the triple lock, a guaranteed rise for the public sector (who earn less than they could in the private sector), an end to the need to strike as pay review bodies are staff by the staff not the current situation, an end to benefit culture by investing in low skill manual job that replace benefits (yes mandatory work).

If he can produce an economy that treats the public sector fairly and is stable with continued growth of GDP sure I will support his idea to remove the right to strike until then Rishi you have a lot to do!

That's nonsense. Public spending is subject to heavy scrutiny and oversight. Anyone who has ever been involved in a public procurement process would tell you that.

@ExpectMore "We're rolling it in so much that we're in £2.4 Trillion of debt.... 🤦‍♀️"

Nope. We have so much money we can give it away left right and centre to all our billionaire pals. Once we stop doing that, I'll accept we may need to pay nurses less.

Happy to wait ....

The priority was to get money into peoples pockets rapidly, that comes with the need to have streamlined processes that of course carry additional risk. I for one am glad they took the decision to prioritise getting money where it was needed.

Given it'll cost them more to pursue those that stole the money that what they'll retrieve, as a tax payer, I'd rather we didn't waste good money.

And besides, the real people at fault here are those that committed the fraud.

To blame the government is to victim blame.

All that money lost to fraud in the pandemic because they couldn't be bothered to do things properly and now they can't be bothered to go after people who have defrauded the government!!
And now we have rishi richer than the king blithely glossing over the fact that he lost all that money to error and fraud, now telling people they have to suffer whilst he luxuriates in his heated swimming pool

@CuriousMama @Leemoe

You do realise that pretty much anyone who donates to any green cause is likely to have (indirectly) shares in oil given the vast majority of pension funds (which we're all connected to) invest in oil related companies...?

Fake news and another time wasting conspiracy theory

Spot on

Thats a complete red herring and you know it... we aren't about to go bankrupt.

The choice we have is no NHS as more and more staff leave or we fund it, the little old lady isn't getting an ambulance right now... with one NHS director saying we are about to have a service where unless you are about to die, we wont be able to come to you...

You seem completely unable to process this.

Do some research:

UK general government gross debt was £2,436.7 billion at the end of Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2022, equivalent to 101.9% of gross domestic product (GDP)

We're rolling it in so much that we're in £2.4 Trillion of debt.... 🤦‍♀️

Ultimately if people don’t get paid enough to live they leave for jobs that pay better. Then there are staff shortages and the quality of services decline (bigger classes in schools/lots of supply teachers/not enough nurses so longer waits for medical care).

I’d rather they went on strike to achieve better wages than leave. Although what I’d really rather have is that these jobs were paid a proper rate in the first place.

The government is rolling in money.

There is so much money that all their friends got hundreds of millions each for dodgy PPE deals and 30 billion to give away to the stock markets a few months ago, which also made their pals a lot of money on the stock market fluctuations.

If there's so much cash floating around for the top, it can be made available for the plebs as well

This is the legacy of 12 years of Tory austerity and misrule though. People have had real terms paycuts for a decade and are now expected to take huge real terms pay cuts at a time of rampant inflation.

I agree nurses are striking for good reason and that includes patient protection in the longer term.
However I expect there will be some deaths which will be blamed on the strike. ( and I expect I would be highly aggrieved if it were my family) The backlash of those deaths could turn some public opinion against nurses.

@longwayoff

Again, some further facts that discount your narrative that you may wish to consider (or just ignore and continue to not let the facts get in the way of a good diatribe of hate):

MPs were awarded what was recommended by independent body: 2.7%

Government (I accept not all MPs are in the government) accepted NHS pay review body recommendation of a 4.75% increase

I.E. MPs "awarded themselves" (in your speak) less and in both cases, followed the recommendations of an independent body. What more do you want?

References below for your convenience:

www.theipsa.org.uk/news/press-releases/ipsa-announces-mps-pay-for-2022-23

www.unison.org.uk/news/2022/11/workforce-plan-and-proper-pay-rise-vital-to-secure-nhs-future-says-unison/

Perhaps if he and his govt spent a tenth of the effort they are determined to spend trying to criminalise the right to strike...and spent it getting round the table with the unions, they might actually achieve something.

I am afraid, that the bleat that ' there is no money' from a govt that manages to find it for their cronies to line their pockets . Let alone the gazillions promised every time a prime minister needs to grandstand in Ukraine , makes all the 'we can't afford it' sound like yet more lies.

It's about priorities. The NHS, public sector and rail infrastructure ARE the countries priorities and should be funded accordingly.

@longwayoff to save you searching:

healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/2022/11/30/nhs-industrial-action-media-fact-sheet-2/

Do your research... an independent pay body has recommended a pay award, which the government accepted...! 🤦‍♀️

The issue is the greedy unions wants more

@Squamata

• What is the right solution @ExpectMore ? What would you do if you were a health worker under intense strain, barely able to live on your wage, traumatised by the last few years, tempted to walk away from your career because of not being able to provide decent healthcare to people who need it?

I think they've raised all these concerns nicely. Many times. It's not new. The government solution is to ignore it and hope people start calling for privatisation before too many people die on trolleys in corridors.

What would you do?*

I can't answer definitely as it depends on a complex situation that will be specific to each individual.

Options (not exhaustive, examples only) I would however consider are:
a) raise my voice via standard campaigning and democratic means (social media campaigns, petitions, via my union*)
b) if I'm unable to live on my wage, consider how to balance my personal budget. Look for opportunities to spent less. Consider what life choices I've made and if they are affecting my ability to balance my books? Could I love to a less expensive area? Drive a more economical car? Take the bus / bike to work?
c) look at how to increase my income - come I seek promotion? Could I change employer (to private sector)? Could my partner do something to increase family income?
d) if I can't take the intensity, seek time out

Pretty basic stuff to be fair?

*although I accept that unions may not be a viable solution given they've been ineffective at solving the issue for the nurses this far

Maybe all these pay demands should be assessed by the same 'impartial' body that assesses MPs pay? MPs seem pretty happy with their frequent pay rises, they've all had a recent bung, again. I've not heard any of them complain about this, haven't been told the country cant afford it etc. Let the MP pay review body decide on NHS workers, transport, post, etc. No? Thought not.

The problem is (to use your analogy, which I think it a good one!) she's not breaking free, she's withdrawing vital care from the children to get what she wants from the partner.

If she were to break free, she'd vote with her feet and (in this case) seek alternative employment.

I've always thought the best way to withhold labour is to resign....