[Funky_Climber]

What do people think about the doctors going on 'emergency and urgent care only' industrial action...

[thegodofgod]

Doctors (especially by the media) have been stomped over for a very long time - it's high time they managed to get their voice heard.

[My-My-My]

I'm biased, but I agree with it. I understand that doctors are very lucky to have the pay and job security the have but they've been messed around with for a long time now and over many issues other than pensions. Industrial action will have been a last resort as they're just so fed up with the situation. I'm not expecting many people to share the same views as me and I understand that there are many people out there in worse circumstances.

[Darth Stewie]

Although i understand it and do think doctors have been unfairly targeted in the sense many civil servants with the same or better pensions have been left alone i find it very hard to sympathize with them and honestly think this industrial action will be a PR disaster.

I get why doctors are upset and know it isn't just about the pension issue but this industrial action is just going to turn the public against them especially when papers like the daily mail inevitably start publishing stories after the 21st about people who didn't receive help because of the action. I mean after the teacher strike they published an article about a girl who died after being hit in the head by a falling tree trunk and pretty much said if she was in school this wouldn't have happened, can you imagine what they are going to publish after this? It's going to be an absolute media slaughter.

[Democracy]

Agree with reasons behind the action, though I don't think anything will change because of a one day strike.

[marcusfox]

Whilst, I’m no fan of pension goalposts being moved, no matter how necessary, notice that in all the outpouring of sympathy, no one sees fit to point out that under the last government, NHS doctors managed to coin the largest share of additional NHS taxpayer funding.

To such an extent, that doctors are now paid 25-50% above the EU average.

There was us thinking all the additional funding would go on nurses and hip operations.

P.S. Note to doctors, teachers and any other public sector workers, voting to go out on strike - one-day stoppages are just pointless pissing into the wind and the government is rolling over laughing if that’s the best you can do.

[Funky_Climber]

The Fire Brigade went on 'All Out Strike' 10 years back over their pay and the government gave in and negotiated. I guess the difference is that was Labour and they aren't as concerned with lining their own pockets as opposed to the Conservatives. The MP's wouldn't be too happy if they were expected to give any of their pension up so it's a bit hypocritical of them to expect the doctors to.

In regards to doctors pay it isn't as great as the media portray. I'm not saying it's a bad salary however for the basic Consultant to get to 100,000 a year they have to have been a Consultant for 19 years. That means 5 years (usually) of Medical School with much larger debts than others, 2 years as a Foundation Training Doctor, ST Years (Varies by Speciality, lowest around 6 years) and then 19 years as a Consultant (if you get the job straight away), so that's 32 years plus.

Also, the Junior Doctors have taken a pretty big lowering in their salary and the basic is now just above 22,000 which is below the average salary for Graduates.

I don't want the doctors to go on 'All Out Strike' as it would damage the professional reputation and cause major problems. However, I don't see why the Conservatives are targeting the NHS pensions, after all it would be better to target the Teachers. I only say this because the Conservatives are more for a Private Health Care so the NHS will be GONE under them and the money making scheme they developed stealing from the medical and nursing professions will be gone, but there will always be Teachers under the Government.

[Whey aye Cabaye]

So doctors are due to strike in less than two weeks time. I am not actually totally clear why they are striking though I believe it is because of cuts to their pensions? If someone could provide a clear explanation of why they are taking industrial action, I would be grateful.

I really made this poll to see what people outside of the medical profession thought about doctors taking industrial action after I heard a few heated arguments on my local radio station.

[Aack]

I don't support industrial action from any work force in any industry, public or private.

If you don't like something, either learn to live with it or move on. Don't throw your toys out of the pram just because you don't get your way.

[Chiko 1001]

Signing a contract then changing your mind 4 years later, backtracking and bending the other party over a PR barrel would not be acceptable in any other context. Being the government doesn't mean it's okay.

[DynamicSyngery]

Doctors are fabulously wealthy professionals who are now proposing to essentially kill people in order to extort money from the taxpayer.

**** 'em. I would conscript them into the army and send them back out to work on £5/hour.

[rafimax]

Striking is wrong, especially when the role the strikers play in society is as crucial as the role of doctors. They are putting people's lives at risk, just for a few extra pounds for when they retire.
Also, I would feel more sympathy if doctors were all on the breadline. Doctors are (rightly) well paid and I don't see them all quitting their jobs for something better paid

[Beebumble]

(Original post by rafimax)
Striking is wrong, especially when the role the strikers play in society is as crucial as the role of doctors. They are putting people's lives at risk, just for a few extra pounds for when they retire.
Also, I would feel more sympathy if doctors were all on the breadline. Doctors are (rightly) well paid and I don't see them all quitting their jobs for something better paid

It's been very carefully planned. Emergency and Maternity doctors will work as usual. Out of hours GP's will still be available emergency surgery will go ahead as well as surgery and tests for life threatening diseases.

They're not just going to up sticks and close hospitals and leave people dying. People in desperate need of a doctor in a life threatening situation will be treated as usual. People who may need non-urgent treatment can wait a couple of days.

[Friar Chris]

Med Student here, no I do not support or condone it.

Don't say I like the changes the government's making, but I dislike strike action and union-mentality even more. It's not like doctors are the hardest-done-to people in society, even if the job is unique in its stresses.

[Aphotic Cosmos]

(Original post by Funky_Climber)
The Fire Brigade went on 'All Out Strike' 10 years back over their pay and the government gave in and negotiated. I guess the difference is that was Labour and they aren't as concerned with lining their own pockets as opposed to the Conservatives. The MP's wouldn't be too happy if they were expected to give any of their pension up so it's a bit hypocritical of them to expect the doctors to.

In regards to doctors pay it isn't as great as the media portray. I'm not saying it's a bad salary however for the basic Consultant to get to 100,000 a year they have to have been a Consultant for 19 years. That means 5 years (usually) of Medical School with much larger debts than others, 2 years as a Foundation Training Doctor, ST Years (Varies by Speciality, lowest around 6 years) and then 19 years as a Consultant (if you get the job straight away), so that's 32 years plus.

Also, the Junior Doctors have taken a pretty big lowering in their salary and the basic is now just above 22,000 which is below the average salary for Graduates.

I don't want the doctors to go on 'All Out Strike' as it would damage the professional reputation and cause major problems. However, I don't see why the Conservatives are targeting the NHS pensions, after all it would be better to target the Teachers. I only say this because the Conservatives are more for a Private Health Care so the NHS will be GONE under them and the money making scheme they developed stealing from the medical and nursing professions will be gone, but there will always be Teachers under the Government.

You must be joking. Spare the poor doctors with Audis and a nice country home, target the teachers instead working on a very basic salary and a constantly pared down pension? If there's one class of common public servant who can afford to take a cut, it's doctors, and if there's one who can't, it's teachers.

[Friar Chris]

(Original post by Aphotic Cosmos)
You must be joking. Spare the poor doctors with Audis and a nice country home, target the teachers instead working on a very basic salary and a constantly pared down pension? If there's one class of common public servant who can afford to take a cut, it's doctors, and if there's one who can't, it's teachers.

AHAHAHAHA

Teachers are in no way badly done to. You're delusional. Doctors shouldn't be striking, but teaching as a profession has an over-inflated ego and no conception of how it fares in its share of workload, pay and perks. It's possibly the most unbearable, self-flattering, self-righteous branch of civil service.

[Democracy]

(Original post by Aphotic Cosmos)
You must be joking. Spare the poor doctors with Audis and a nice country home, target the teachers instead working on a very basic salary and a constantly pared down pension? If there's one class of common public servant who can afford to take a cut, it's doctors, and if there's one who can't, it's teachers.

Without wanting to turn this into a doctors vs teachers slanging match (as that's totally pointless), please don't look at consultants with extra income from private practice and extrapolate from that to mean that all doctors (juniors, graduate medics, those struggling with postgrad exams etc etc) are so well off. It's a bit like looking at headteachers and suggesting that all teachers have such a relatively good deal.

Though FWIW, I support the teachers too as they also have a very legitimate reason to be annoyed at government interference and cuts.

[DynamicSyngery]

(Original post by Beebumble)
They're not just going to up sticks and close hospitals and leave people dying. People in desperate need of a doctor in a life threatening situation will be treated as usual. People who may need non-urgent treatment can wait a couple of days.

Instead they'll moderately delay and degrade the quality of non-urgent care so that the resultant moderately higher mortality rate can't be connected with any one individual.

[Captain Crash]

(Original post by Aphotic Cosmos)
You must be joking. Spare the poor doctors with Audis and a nice country home, target the teachers instead working on a very basic salary and a constantly pared down pension? If there's one class of common public servant who can afford to take a cut, it's doctors, and if there's one who can't, it's teachers.

Except it's not a cut; it's a tax. The doctor's pension scheme is in surplus and funds the treasury to the tune of £2bn every year. The government wants to increase contributions from 9% to 14% which will all go into the government's coffers.

Which other professional group would accept a selective 5% tax on their profession?

[My-My-My]

(Original post by DynamicSyngery)
Doctors are fabulously wealthy professionals who are now proposing to essentially kill people in order to extort money from the taxpayer.

**** 'em. I would conscript them into the army and send them back out to work on £5/hour.

Nobody will die as a result of the strike.