to think that doctors shouldn't go on strike over pension changes

[starwarrior]

Why shouldn't they just suck it up like the rest of us?

I take home 3000 per month which is pretty good I think and is for full time plus full shift rota.
If I change to full time alone would be about half that.. am hoping to do this soon

La ciccolina - that's an irrelevant post. The problem is the changes proposed are soon after a change had already been made and are also unjustified since the last change made the system sustainable. Why should employees be subject to frequent and unreasonable changes to their employment contract?

just I think we may actually be agreeing with each other!! You are saying policemen have similar stresses - I am saying yes, that's why some doctors should not act like their jobs are the only stressful ones.

I don't think you have posted in that vein, btw, but there were a couple of posters (I think both drs' wives) who were saying how no one understood how hard their husbands worked etc. I think doctors do a uniquely valuable job and that should be recognised - but I don't think they do uniquely stressful/ physically difficult/ intellectually demanding jobs, tho' I recognise their jobs are stressful etc.

I hate the bla bla bla about Dr's training for years, and they are the only ones that do and so therefore deserve their huge salaries. My husband is a clinical scientist...he has adegree a masters and a phd...not to mention other required qualifications. he is paid under 40k. I am a nurse and the majority of referals to my team are assessed and treated by a nurse.

In my opinion the NHS wouldn't be in such a state if Drs pay was inline with the rest of the people that work in the NHS. Some drs are amazing and worth every penny...a lot, not so much.

Not bothered if they strike!

The changes are to the NHS pension scheme - not liking what GP's get paid is no reason to support a change to the whole thing for all NHS workers.

bubbles - if you look at the AfC job evaluations, at what banding do you think that the average consultant post would sit?

Hiveof bees...as far as I'm aware Drs are not paid under agenda for change pay bands...
I am band 6 my husbad is band 7 and hopes to become a band 8.

Sorry, I should have phrased it: If medical staff were paid under AfC, what banding do you think the average consultant post would be?

I think they earn over 100K..but if not they would be band 9. Like I said some Drs deserve their pay but there are many highly skilled and trained professionals in the NHS that get no where near that kind of pay. The old fashioned view that the doctor is up the top telling the minions what to do is so outdated now. As far as I see it the doctor is just another member of the team and all the people in my team are important and valuable...

The band 9 payscale is 77-97K.

The consultant payscale is 74-100K

They look quite similar?

Either way...it's a lot of money!

It is, but you said that you thought that consultant pay should be in line with the rest of the NHS, but if we agree that they would be band 9 then they already are.

I mean in line the majority of the workers...or highly trained people that don't get half that pay. I don't particularly think I should be paid more but why should the consultant in my team get paid so much more than me when the nurses assess and treat the majority of patients? My original gripe was someone said docs deserved their pay as they trained so long...people don't realise people like my husband, phamacists, specialist nurses etc train just as long and won't see the financial rewards docs do.

It's off the topic of striking tho!

It was you who brought it up. You said that you wanted doctors paid in line with everyone else in the NHS, what could be more in line than seeing what they would get if they were assessed to the same pay structure as everyone else?

It is relevent to the pension debate because of people commenting on the pay that doctors get and 'doctors' pensions, but it is an NHS pension, and when you look at the AfC payscales, doctors are being paid at a very similar rate to if they were a nurse, physio, OT, psychologist or in fact any other NHS employee performing comparable tasks.

Bubbles - come off it. Nurses train just as long as doctors? Nurses may assess and treat patients and no doubt very competently. But their job is not the same as that of a doctor.

How patronising . Bubbles I'm with you.