Health Secretary says junior docs ‘suddenly’ walked away from talks
H
ealth Secretary Steve Barclay has accused junior docs of “suddenly” strolling away from talks.
Junior docs are planning to stage the biggest walkout within the historical past of the NHS later this month with a five-day strike from July 13-18.
Mr Barclay instructed the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News: “We were in the middle of discussing some of those wider non-pay issues.
“It was the junior doctors suddenly who walked away.”
The British Medical Association (BMA) mentioned it’s keen to proceed talks.
Challenged over whether or not a 6% pay rise for NHS could be acceptable, Mr Barclay mentioned: “These will be discussions that I have on behalf of the health workforce with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, that the Education Secretary will have on behalf of teachers, and other ministers will have across government, so we will have those and we’ll make announcements in due course.”
He mentioned the Government had recognised each the wants of employees and the wants of the broader economic system with current pay talks.
He mentioned that was “exactly what we have done with the Agenda for Change, which is why not only did we apply the full pay review body recommendations, we actually went further in terms of a lump sum this time because we hugely recognise the pressure that NHS staff have been under”.
“Of course we need to look at the wider pressures in terms of inflation… we need to look at these things in the round.
“That’s what we did last time, which is why we made adjustments.
“Of course we will take a similar approach this time.”
Co-chairman of the BMA junior docs committee Dr Vivek Trivedi mentioned: “We have always been willing to continue talking.
“It was the Government who cancelled our remaining meetings after we called for strike action, but we have made it clear that we will call strikes off if (Rishi) Sunak makes a credible offer.
“A 5% offer when inflation is in double digits is yet another real-terms pay cut, and would only worsen the already 26% real-terms pay cut we’ve endured prior to that.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear that Steve Barclay has been negotiating in bad faith.
“Ministers need to understand that they have totally discredited the supposed independence of the pay review body.”
Consultants – essentially the most senior docs within the NHS – are additionally planning to stage industrial motion on July 20 and 21, the place they’ll solely present scaled-back “Christmas Day cover”.
Shadow schooling secretary Bridget Phillipson additionally confronted questions on Sunday about whether or not Labour would settle for the suggestions of pay evaluate our bodies.
Asked if a Labour authorities would settle for a 6.5% pay rise for academics if advised by the pay evaluate physique, Ms Phillipson mentioned she had not seen the report as a result of the Government “won’t” publish it.
“I would see that as the starting point for negotiation; we can’t get anywhere unless we’re prepared to negotiate,” she mentioned, including: “I’m not going to come on this programme and commit to a figure, I wouldn’t expect the Secretary of State to do that either; that is what will happen during the course of a negotiation.”
Instead of coping with these basic points that are inflicting already skilled NHS docs to stop and transfer overseas to locations the place they’ve an opportunity of being correctly paid and appreciated, (Steve) Barclay is attempting to take us on a visit to la la land
Speaking to BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, she mentioned: “Labour governments always want to prioritise education and make sure we properly support people working in teaching with fair and affordable pay settlements.
“But who knows what the situation will be if we win that election because the Conservatives crashed the economy, have behaved utterly recklessly, and that will present some tough choices.”
Sharon Graham, normal secretary of the Unite union, mentioned: “Steve Barclay just doesn’t get it.
“Junior doctors up and down the country have had a real-terms pay cut of around 26% since 2008/9.
“There are more than 110,000 vacancies in the NHS workforce right now – that’s one in 10 posts unfilled.
“But instead of dealing with those fundamental issues which are causing already trained NHS doctors to quit and move abroad to places where they have a chance of being properly paid and appreciated, Barclay is trying to take us on a trip to la la land.”