Doctors right to strike, should it be removed?

[DistinguishedSocialCommenator]

Hello
Several people within our families are doctors. Most started out wanting to care for people, but as time goes on, the reality of money, and spending comes into play for some.

PM Rishi Sunak in a tv interview partly balmed doctors strikes for failing to bring down hospital waiting lists. I rarely agree with a politician but in this case, I know he is right. EG, myself, my OH, one of our children and grandchildren have had their appointments cancelled because of strike impacts. Our children and grandchildren do have private healthcare but those do not cover pre-existing or you end up on the NHS with chorionic conditions.

Our police officers and armed forces personnel are not allowed to strike

AIBU to expect a no-strike agreement for doctors and possibly nurses. If agreed, give them 9 months' notice about no-strike agreements. I honestly believe hardly anyone would leave and those leaving would have possibly left the NHS anyway as some do and go to another country just like we get doctors from abroad. Their pay claims could be easily managed in the same way police/armed forces pay rises are managed as well of those MP's.

Failing to bring down hospital w/l lies with the present government and the growing of these waiting lists, the doctor's strikes have certainly made things a lot worse. We are regularly hearing on our news media about growing waiting lists and people waiting for urgent treatments and the waiting times in A&E departments etc

AIBU to feel that doctors should be made to sign a no-strike agreement with a few month's notice to have the no-strike agreement in place before next winter? Also, have a pay body set up like the ones our MP's enjoy.

YAB ridiculous, OP! HTH

There is already a huge shortage of doctors and nurses. Many are leaving the profession due to the terrible working conditions and poor pay. It is also an ageing workforce with huge numbers due to retire in the next few years and not enough newer staff to replace them.
Removing the right to strike might (very temporarily) plug some gaps but the longer term effect of that is that even more people will leave and less will join so shortages will get even worse.

Great post. I say this winter but a bit longer won't hurt.

Importantly, I've suggested a pay body like the one MP's have would be good for our docs, NHS staff.

Its always been the case ever since I can recall.

Greedy bastards, expecting a fair wage. They should do it for the love of the job they chose to do and the warm fuzzy feeling they get from doing it. Perhaps we could offer them dormitory accommodation so they dont need to worry about bills and rent & mortgages.

No. Everyone should have the right to strike.

I support the doctor's striking and fully blame the government for not funding the NHS adequately.

They are included in the 'everybody'.

Agree. I've read in a few places that the vast majority of NHS staff (not just doctors) are all doing the equivalent of an extra shift in unpaid overtime each week.
One newspaper claimed that it adds up to a MILLION HOURS of unpaid overtime every week.
If you remove the right to strike, then people will do other things like "work to rule" and do only what's in their contract and no more.

I can't understand this kind of spiteful attitude towards medical professionals. They don't strike on a whim, but as an absolute last resort. The issues that they're striking over should have been dealt with years ago. I don't believe that I would ever encourage my DC into a medical field - it just doesn't seem worth it. Years of study, long hours, not amazing pay. arduous work, public facing in a time of deteriorating respect for other people and possible violence and then people like the OP who think that they shouldn't even be allowed to withdraw their labour! Who'd take that on?

I think you should be able to.

I fully support doctors and other NHS staff striking. The NHS has been run down and the length of the waiting lists aren’t their fault. I’m glad they are striking for better pay and working conditions as it will benefit all of us who use the NHS. No-one wants an exhausted and disillusioned doctor treating them.

Every government review about failings in NHS care had staff shortages as the principal problem. Even though the majority of the newspapers chose to report differently. (Most of the UK newspapers are owned by the rich white men, by the way). The doctors and nurses are striking for patients' safety, no other reason. Tired doctors make mistakes (and so do nurses and midwives and drivers etc).

It really irks me that Rishi Sunak makes these claims and people lap them up.
Doctors’ strikes may well have caused some people to wait for their appointments/treatment - in the short term. They are striking to improve conditions and if their strikes are successful they will improve staffing/working conditions and therefore improve the patient experience. It is absolutely typical of Sunak to make the doctors the villains.

I’m a neonatal intensive care nurse. I have had occasions where I have witnessed the most traumatic things imaginable and not had ten minutes break before returning to look after other patients because we are so short staffed. Anyone that doesn’t support NHS strikes simply doesn’t understand the extent of the problems we face.

NHS staff, by striking, are trying to make lives take priority.

Having an NHS workforce that is understaffed, underpaid and over worked puts lives at risk every day. Not just on the strike days. But the Government isn't listening, so what other choice do the staff have? They could just leave, and get a better paid, less stressful job, but that will just make matters worse for the NHS.

This- and doctors will leave for private sector or abroad, where they are being head hunted with great offers, much better working conditions and salaries. They already are.

It's not a race to the bottom.

You should fighting to get your rights back, not trying to take them away from others.

Maybe if they had been treated the same as MP's when it came to payrises and working conditions they wouldn't be needing to strike.

Yabu
The right to strike is important. Not having the right to not work puts you in a position of indentured labour and is only acceptable if the pay is generous in proportion to the work required. Withdrawing the right to strike from doctors should only be done as part of a deal which raises their pay by at least 20% now and legislation to guarantee a triple lock to keep it ahead of inflation in perpetuity.

If you have a poorly paid job with no right to strike, people will just leave and you'll have a recruitment crisis - or worse you'll have to lower standards and give jobs to barely competent people who would never make the cut against proper competition.

YANBU. I wonder whether the people saying YABU would be happy if a relative of theirs lost their life because a key worker was on strike to get more money?

GPs’ starting salary is £70k, the average nurse earns £37k. They seem like good salaries to me! Ultimately if NHS staff don’t like their jobs and their salaries then they can vote with their feet and leave, which is what the rest of us do.

"I can't understand this kind of spiteful attitude towards medical professionals."

Let's be very clear, no one is being "spiteful" people inc me and millions of others just want a better NHS service and there is no reason why the NHS staff cant have a no-strike agreement like the millions of armed personnel and police officers..

Ive also cleary stated a pay body like that of MP's should be set up.

Its not "spiteful" just because you disagree

You are wrong.

NHs waiting lists have been rising year on year See this infographic and explanation

So what?

@DistinguishedSocialCommenator they are striking to ensure a better NHS service.
Pay review bodies are routinely ignored - teachers have one and are in the same position with regard to pay erosion and staff recruitment and retention as medical staff. They don't ignore their own pay body, but they vote down everyone else's.

The average nurse absolutely does not earn £37k. DS2 is a band 6, he earns about that now after 3 years in post. Most nurses are band 5 so earn a lot less.

And, just for the record nurses and doctors are voting with their feet and leaving which is where the problem lies. Staff shortages are dangerous in the NHS. There was one qualified nurse on DDIL’s ward (her) on Christmas Day a couple of years back. How the hell is that safe?

No.

If doctors and nurses aren’t paid fairly they will vote with their feet and move to a country that does pay them fairly.

our lives are in their hands- I want them to be paid well and getting sufficient rest breaks etc.

If they are such good salaries, then why do we have such recruitment issues? Why on every post on here asking whether it is a good idea to go into the medical profession, is there such a resounding "no" - even from people who actually love the main part of their job, but are just burnt out from overwork and stress?