Rishi Sunak is working on tough new anti-strike laws

And you think there'll be lots of applicants for this?

@Alexandra2001

What do you propose to do about the critical shortage of NHS staff and the 7.2m waiting for treatment...

... I'm fairly confident a strike is exactly the opposite of what's required when there's a critical shortage of staff and 7.2m waiting for treatment...!!!

What do you propose to do about the critical shortage of NHS staff and the 7.2m waiting for treatment... & how will any of this improve if staff take your advice and leave?

Lets be honest you haven't thought this through have you.

Let's hope he gets on with it quickly!

It's disgusting how some in critical services (nursing, border force, rail, post) are holding the country (who have already suffered) to ransom with unreasonable demands (I mean, who ever thinks inflation, or even inflation+, rises are reasonable?! They're clearly missing the whole point of inflation...!) by neglecting their duties.

I get they're having a tough time of it like everyone else but some professions just shouldn't be allowed to strike and individuals should enter the profession knowing that (and if they're not happy with it, don't enter the profession!).

He wont get this through and certainly not in time to deal with the current strikes this winter, will have huge opposition in the 'lords too.

Its just red meat PR for the far right in the media, party membership and some boomer voters.

Pity he isn't advocating unions on company boards etc, longer term would have far greater effect on reducing strikes.

Bottom line line as far as nurses and junior doctors and othe HCPs go is;
If you want a free at the point of access healthcare system populated by a qualified, educated and intelligent workforce then you should expect to pay for that via taxation.

If you aren't prepared to vote for this then prepare for an insurance based system where you will pay even more directly from your salary (for the avoidance of doubt, this is the government's preferred option)

Either way the professionals will be paid commensurate with their worth. The rest is up to you.

My salary was worth 27% less than it was worth in 2009 in March this year. I am actually not on a bad salary, but not am I will off. And I'm beginning to struggle. 65, disabled, and I am cold wfh because I can't afford the energy I did a year ago. I grew up poor. Much poorer than I am now, in theory. But we were never cold. This country needs a wake up call. Whatever that takes.

So sick of hearing this well they chose their jobs
I'm paid a couple of hundred quid more a month than when I was a newly qualified nurse 12 years on and I've gone up a band. Yet the cost of petrol, bread, gas and electric has skyrocketed
Why should I just be grateful? I spent so many years training when my kids were babies. They mainly saw the back of my head for three years . I couldn't attend so many things at nurseries missed many firsts etc but it will be worth it everyone cried. You will be giving them such a good future . And here I am they are teens who missed out on so much in their early years and now we can't even afford a nice holiday

Good for him.

At this rate, all the unions currently striking on the occasional day will just walk out indefinitely.... people wont take these changes lying down.

Sunak uses a private GP, schooling, his own leisure facilities at home and would only use a train for a photo shoot and £720m in the bank.

He is just another politician who is out of touch.

Mean? Oh Christ yeah because people wanting to be able to afford to live let alone have a nice Christmas are so unreasonable 🙄

You're spot on there. Make a law to make sure the workers have to continue regardless to make the rich even richer. We're going back to medieval times where there were Lords and surfs. This is the Conservative government for you

There May only be 25% of workers in a union, but when they win, they also win for non union members, and other industries.

2 day weekends
8 hour working days
paid maternity leave
paid holidays
retirement age
occupational health
Work place pensions
Equality laws
The right not to be sacked because you got married or had a baby or became ill
minimum wage.

can’t think of anymore

There is a demographic problem in lots of developed countries. Lots of skilled jobs but not enough workers with the correct skills to fill them.

They tried this at one Tube station. You get a surge of travellers on a jolly and overcrowding issues.

it's a shame we can't rig the system so one day, everyone gets a refund after they've travelled.

Nursing degrees have some of the highest attrition in the country because kids with a good set of A levels see the writing on the wall pretty quickly and change course to something easier and more lucrative
exactly, the gvt thinks people will get themselves into significant debt for the 'opportunity' to be driven into the ground by the failing NHS, what's the point in working at all for young people, many will never be able to afford a decent home to live in, never mind have a family, might as well just 'lie flat'

Miakj "Or... They could just stop prioritizing shareholder profit. Why isn't this the first sensible option?"

the usual reasoning is that shares support pensions. It all shows up a lot of issues with financing.

I miss the mixed economy days - some private, some not.

Or... They could just stop prioritizing shareholder profit. Why isn't this the first sensible option?

I don't want to pay £60 to go to London, while the service is understaffed and people are underpaid, just for some white middle aged twat boss to benefit.

Why are we so happy in this country to give lots of wealth to a small number of people and complain that working people are asking for too much when they're not?

What a stupid comment.

Were paying stupid prices for tickets, meanwhile the number of workers is reducing and their wages are stagnant.

It's all going into shareholders pockets. In my country it would cost me £5 to get a train cross country, for the longest possible journey.

It should have never been privatised in the first place.

It's sad that people like you think workers demand too much but you're happy to pay way too much for train tickets just so a few big bosses can roll in it. Wake up.

Only people who have never worked in the NHS say that.

Mainly because to qualify as a nurse you need A levels in the region of BCC to ABB depending on the particular university, then you accrue student debt whilst completing a degree and working approx thirty hours per week as a student nurse. You do not have the holidays and study leave of other undergraduates.

You then start on approx 25k and will be on about 32k after five years.

That is without factoring in the dangerous working environment.
Nursing degrees have some of the highest attrition in the country because kids with a good set of A levels see the writing on the wall pretty quickly and change course to something easier and more lucrative.

If I had my time again I wouldn't do a nursing degree, nor would I let a child of mine within sniffing distance of one and I left the NHS to work in pharma years ago.

The conditions are stressful and dangerous with unsociable hours. And if the pay was so great our hospitals wouldn't have posters telling staff how to access Foodbank vouchers.

The Tories have spent 12 years treating nursing staff like shit. It's no wonder staffing is at crisis level. Removing the Right to Strike will not fix this.