Breaking the NHS picket line

[helpidkwhattodopls]

I work in the NHS, non-clinical. Obviously there are junior doctor strikes coming up and I’m fully in support of them, but I have no choice but to go to work during the strikes. I can’t afford to take time off.

Our manager has given us a warning and said that we shouldn’t be taking the main route into the hospital during the strikes as apparently the striking staff can be very angry at you for breaking the picket. But I have no choice, I don’t drive into work so I have to go this way.

AIBU to ask what the hell I should do?????

I think what the OP might be saying is that on her normal bus route, due to the relative location of the picket and the hospital entrance, she would already be 'crossing the picket' on the bus or by getting off at the bus stop that will drop her into the middle of the protest - I think she's imagining a scene like this with rioters surrounding the strike breakers bus. And she's saying that is the only bus route that goes within 3 miles of the hospital.

But evidently if that is the case OP (or her manager) are likely to be wildly disappointed by the extremely tame and undramatic nature of resident doctor picking! There weren't even any placards or loudspeakers the last time at our trust, just some fairly sad leafleters...

Not empty quoting

This.

Seriously, your manager should be reported for spreading this kind of misinformation. It’s not the 80s with the miners’ strikes and lines of police holding back the picketers!

I’m another one who doesn’t understand why you can’t use another entrance to the hospital. Either the bus you use drives straight onto the hospital grounds in which case it will pass by the strikers (And believe me, no one will be throwing eggs!) or you get off the bus at the stop outside of the hospital and walk through a different entrance or the car park. It doesn’t seem like rocket science.

Unless you’re a resident (junior) doctor you cannot and should not strike. If you want to show your support for the doctors (which is greatly appreciated and not something they would take for granted) please come and say hi to the picket on the way to or from work, they’ll probably have a sticker or badge you could wear if you like to indicate your support.
Your manager is talking absolute rubbish - please let other colleagues know that nobody else is expected to strike and I’ve never heard of unpleasantness on any of the pickets (I was around in the 2016 strikes too).
There’s also an understanding that plenty of our doctor colleagues need to work for reasons we might not be privy to - this isn’t the miners strikes - there’s no shouting at people crossing a line!

Call in sick - then you are supporting the strikers and not breaking the picket line.

Sorry but you are not a doctor I assume so therefore you are not on strike, and nor have you been asked to go on strike so won’t be losing any money!

as to the entrance, are you seriously telling me you have one entrance into the hospital? Ours has loads, the bus drops you outside one, but it’s a two minute walk to the next entrance if you didn’t want to use the next one. Just walk round the outside of the hospital.

It’s very poorly laid out.

thanks though to everyone who’s been genuine - it does seem a bit like my manager is being a little overzealous with everything. The entire office is very unhappy about the strikes so I’m guessing that’s where it comes from.

Somebody somewhere along the line is stirring up shit against striking doctors.

Okay? I don’t know why, but you do you

If you are in a hospital that is four miles between entrances, I'm guessing that there are enough staff that the junior docs won't recognise you as a fellow staff member.

Not sure where anyone has got 4 miles from!!!

the bus travels along the main road. The other entrances are along the back of the hospital, but because of the layout of the main road and the roads around the hospital, it’s a right faff to get from the main road (only road served by bus) to the other entrances.

The phlebotomists? Yes I walk past them too, lovely bunch of people.

OP I’ve never read such rubbish in my life! Your manager is a liar! They are shit stirring!

@helpidkwhattodopls

It's extremely unprofessional for your manager to make up these lies. Especially claiming that doctors will verbally abuse patients.

You need to take this to HR, they are deliberately making you scared to go into work. That's not right. If not HR, are you in one of the non clinical unions?

Do you have any evidence that this is what they've said?

Why on earth should she do that if she's not sick?

Is that you Wes?

Your manager is full of shit.

As people say, you're not part of this strike as it's not about your profession, so you're not 'crossing the picket line'. When I worked in health the hospital negotiated with the unions to agree where the picketing would take place and it was never at the main entrance to the hospital as it's obstructive for patients, let alone other members of staff. Just go into work as usual, your manager is talking absolute balderdash.

In the previous strikes, some of our junior doctors (now known as resident doctors) decided not to strike. Do you know how much grief they got from their striking colleagues? None. Some years ago I was part of a demonstration of over 10 thousand doctors marching through London. There were only a handful of police present, and I got chatting to one of them. "Nah, we're not worried about you lot causing trouble, you all need a clean CRB (now DBS) check to work!" Resident doctors are not stupid enough to commit illegal acts on a picket line.

You're non-clinical, you're not striking, just go to work as normal, you're making far more of this than you need to

not sure where your manager is finding their information. Clinical non medic in a senior managerial position with direct experience of strikes. Throughout all of the strikes in my area no tension between striking and non striking staff clinical or non clinical. You will be absolutely fine.

As a non clinical member of staff, do you think and doctor, whether "resident doctor", "consultant", "specialist" or "general practitioner " would give a flying fuck of support for you, if you participated in industrial action for, I'm guessing a meagre wage increase?

Yeah This

You aren’t making sense OP. You’re not a doctor. You’re not legally allowed to strike. You have to work as normal. Walk in like normal and give the doctors a supportive smile and get on with your day.