Junior doctors strike

Judges are the equivalent of senior consultants, not junior doctors.

I’m going to be outspoken like bumface, and good for you bumface for speaking out. The reason most people don’t want junior doctors to strike is this, they simply want the doctor to be there just exactly when they require them to be there. If we want that, an on demand service pretty much whenever we want it, we need to be prepared to pay for it and to employ sufficient doctors. Don’t pay doctors enough and there’ll be fewer doctors here. It’s called supply and demand.
Re the pensions, how many people know that the terms of doctor’s pensions have been radically changed/reduced in recent years? Probably not many, because doctor’s pensions aren’t a topic of conversation very often. Incidentally, as a matter of interest, teacher’s pensions have also been devalued by government, so the professional pension I retired on as a teacher, which was based on my final salary, is no longer available to teachers retiring today, instead my niece, also a teacher, has much less favourable terms when she eventually claims her teacher pension. Exactly the same has happened to doctors pensions. Judges however, have a very beneficial pension after some twenty years of service, also paid out by the public purse. Judges of course, have extremely specialised knowledge. What? Doctors have extremely specialised knowledge too? Well who knew?

People may think junior doctors are being offered enough but all those vacancies tell a different story. With their university fees outstanding, Australia are rubbing their hands with glee. The government since 2010 want private health to replace the NHS.

That's very interesting GSM I didn't know that, and your suggestion that having that money given as pay instead of going towards their pensions is a good one.

I agree that a 38% demand is ridiculous.

People overlook the value of doctors’ pensions - they remain what is now a rare thing, a defined benefit pension whereby what you are paid in retirement is based on your earnings. The NHS contributes just over 20% of a doctor’s salary to his pension. What other employer does that? Perhaps the NHS should stop contributing to pensions and give them extra pay instead - they can’t expect to have it both ways .
I don’t support the doctors’ demands - 38% is ridiculous but they won’t budge, and to hell with the patients.

Sometimes you just have to say it don't you Bumface Well done . Quite an achievement being bounced from a party for the first time

£3,000 is what MP’s could get next year, recommended by the Independent Pay Board.

It is not set in stone.

I think Doctors should be paid more, but asking for 38% is over the top in my opinion.

I am rapidly approaching my mid 70s and for the very first time ever I have been 'asked to leave' ie. bounced from a party. (I was not drunk)
I was at a Christmas drinks do with neighbours and had put up with over half an hour, it seemed longer, of 'greedy junior doctor' talk. I had maintained a vacant but not unpleasant look on my face and not said anything. Finally, I snapped when a retired local estate agent piped up with "Its about time they started thinking about the welfare of their patients and not about lining their pockets". This from a man who made his, not inconsiderable, fortune during various property booms. Let's just say I will not be invited next year and will be ignored by most of my neighbours from now on. I am seriously thinking of moving next year; I shall try and avoid using an estate agent if I do.

If the Government wanted to end this strike they could. They don't want to because they want the public to blame the doctors and pave the way for privatisation.

I agree completely.
Dog walkers charge much more for an hour than we pay our junior doctors. Same with cleaners, gardeners and more.

I had a procedure at our local hospital on Saturday. It was cancelled in early December as one doctor was off sick. Re-arranged for 12 days later on the basis further investigations moved me from the 2 week possible cancer path, to ‘urgent’.
The surgeon was not employed by our trust but brought in to cover this hastily re-arranged clinic.
I needed sedation, so surgeon, heart monitor etc. the nurses included two from Ghana, one from Nigeria, One from Malawi and one from India. There were two local white British nurses involved. My surgeon and the anaesthetist were Egyptian.

This government’s focus on lowering immigration is bonkers. Without immigrants our NHS and care system would collapse. Our young doctors go to other Northern European countries, Australia, New Zealand, more money and treated with respect

I believe junior doctors have had a 6% pay rise, to be followed by 3%.
I do not support their strike at all.