Hunt humiliated: He agrees to ACAS negotiations with junior doctors but the BMA wants more

Last Updated: November 26, 2015By


This is utter humiliation for Jeremy Hunt, who had ruled out any negotiation involving the conciliation service ACAS over the impending junior doctors’ strike.

But it seems likely there are more climbdowns to come.

The BMA has released a statement welcoming the talks, but warning that the threat of having a new contract imposed on medical staff must be removed altogether before industrial action planned to take place next week can be called off.

BMA council chair Mark Porter said the BMA would begin these discussions as soon as possible but Mr Hunt must remove his threat of imposing a contract on doctors in training in England to defer Tuesday’s planned action.

Jeremy Hunt has performed a dramatic U-turn offering to negotiate with junior doctors using an arbitrator in an attempt to avoid a strike .

In an eleventh-hour climbdown, the Health Secretary offered to commence talks with independent arbitration body ACAS.

Unions approached ACAS ahead of voting for strike action in the hope a solution could be reached.

But the health secretary was reluctant to negotiate unless it was directly with unions.

He chose to reveal the reverse-ferret within an hour of George Osborne delivering his Autumn Statement .

A Department of Health spokesperson said the timing was nothing to do with the Autumn Statement, and it had been an ongoing decision.

Source: Jeremy Hunt makes humiliating climbdown offering ACAS negotiation to avoid junior doctors strike – Mirror Online

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6 Comments

  1. thejaffer November 26, 2015 at 1:31 am - Reply

    Is the last paragraph not the same as on the ‘short money’ post?

    • Mike Sivier November 26, 2015 at 1:42 am - Reply

      Well, it was… but I have no idea how it got there. I’ve removed it now – thanks for the heads-up.

  2. Mr.Angry November 26, 2015 at 3:10 am - Reply

    The Tory’s are starting to fall apart this is just the beginning, we have all had enough and it’s not going to plan for this evil bunch.

    There is not one section of society untouched by this band of idiots and it is starting to crack at the seams. Let us see how another two years of their rule turn out, anarchy in the making.

  3. Roy Beiley November 26, 2015 at 9:35 am - Reply

    Seems that people power can produce results. Tories are beginning to realise that opposition is not only coming from other political parties but from people usingcthe power of social media sites.

  4. Nick Dedman November 26, 2015 at 9:49 am - Reply

    “A Department of Health spokesperson said the timing was nothing to do with the Autumn Statement, and it had been an ongoing decision”

    A decision to announce it right after the autumn statement because after yesterday they aren’t allowed to make any more U turns.

  5. mrmarcpc November 26, 2015 at 3:02 pm - Reply

    Another arrogant, weak tory boy climbing down from what he said he was going to do, he has made himself look a right CHunt throughout all of this mess and is all by his own hand, this is another humiliating climbdown from another tory boy, serves him right, time he was removed from his post!

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