Junior doctors will strike next week as Jeremy Hunt is accused of political ‘spin’

Last Updated: January 5, 2016By
Spinning like a top? Jeremy Hunt can say what he likes but the BMA isn't having any of it.

Spinning like a top? Jeremy Hunt can say what he likes but the BMA isn’t having any of it.

Junior doctors in England will strike next Tuesday after talks with the Government failed to reach an agreement, the British Medical Association has said.

The 24-hour strike on 12 January will be followed up by 48-hour industrial action starting on 26 January as well as another day on 10 February, the British Medical Association has announced.

All three of the strikes will start at 8am. During the first two junior scheduled actions doctors will provide only emergency care. The final scheduled strike will involve a full withdrawal of labour, the BMA says.

The BMA called off a previously planned strike last year with hours to go before it began in order to conduct more negotiations with the Government.

These negotiations do not appear to have produced progress, however.

BMA council chairman Dr Mark Porter said ministers were not taking medics’ concerns seriously and accused them of dragging their feet.

Source: Junior doctors announce they will strike next week | UK Politics | News | The Independent

The Health Secretary has denied practicing political “spin” around the looming junior doctors’ strike.

Jeremy Hunt was accused of distorting the truth of negotiations by junior doctor campaigners in an appearance on ITV1’s Good Morning Britain programme.

The BMA’s Dr Mark Porter … said that there was still a way to go before the strike could be called off.

“The Government is, understandably, putting round the fact that agreement is almost there,” Dr Porter told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“It’s almost there in their mind but not in the minds of junior doctors.

“An 11 per cent pay increase doesn’t compensate when you take away a 31 per cent average payment for working the unsocial hours. Anybody can do the maths on that.”

The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt however claimed that the BMA agreed that pay was being protected – despite Dr Porter’s earlier comments.

“We think that broadly they do accept that we are protecting pay,” Mr Hunt told the same radio programme.

“No government or health secretary could possibly want to cut doctors’ pay. We’ve offered an absolute pay protection and we’ve shown the workings and we’ve gone through it with the BMA.

“Let’s be clear there isn’t a big difference between what doctors want and what we want and we should sit down and work out a solution.”

Doctors will go on strike next Tuesday if a last-minute agreement is not found.

Source: Jeremy Hunt denies being guilty of ‘spin’ over junior doctors strike | UK Politics | News | The Independent

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No Comments

  1. Mr.Angry January 5, 2016 at 4:09 pm - Reply

    I hope they do albeit many will suffer, however it might make more voters understand the depths this government has sank to, contempt for everybody not in their circle.

  2. Rupert Mitchell (@rupert_rrl) January 5, 2016 at 4:15 pm - Reply

    Jeremy Hunt doesn’t seem to be very good at arithmetic or constructive ideas for improving the NHS. How much is he paid for this?

  3. chriskitcher January 5, 2016 at 6:43 pm - Reply

    It’s about time that these spivs, in this case Jeremy Hunt, were called to account. They have no idea of the real world and the consequences of their actions on ordinary people. Lets hope that the Junior Doctors really do this time, go on strike, and expose this lying little tw*t for the useless article that he is.

  4. Terry Davies January 5, 2016 at 8:17 pm - Reply

    Think about this. Hunt is doing what Cameron and cronies want to misinform the public. Pay protection is a ‘ carrot’ used to facilitate acceptance of worsening pay and working conditions.
    TUC should ban this deceitful and divisive ploy in such negotiations throughout all procedures of negotiations with employers.
    Governments should accept this policy within Trade agreements globally.

  5. Michael rands January 6, 2016 at 3:17 pm - Reply

    The Tories want rid of unions so they bad mouth them to get the public to support them

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