Bankers may not be paid by taxpayers/Govt but it was taxpayers/Govt who bailed the banks out when greed overtook common sense and the banking system almost collapsed! I'm not happy with doctors going on strike and lots of doctors aren't happy about it either. Although membership of the BMA has increased significantly of late, less than 70% of Junior doctors are members. However, how do doctors (nurses, ambulance workers etc) ensure they are paid properly? Yes of course they can "vote with their feet", plenty are doing that already but is it really cost effective to have well trained people leaving the NHS? Is it cost effective to use Agency staff to cover vacancies? People who can afford it can use private medical care but that's actually rather limited and although you will see a consultant, there won't be one in the hospital just in case you have a medical emergency, you'll get taken to the local NHS hospital! There's no argument that doctors pay has not kept up with inflation and they are paid less than they should be so it needs to be sorted. Comparing them with people in the private sector, is IMHO somewhat pointless as the NHS is basically the only employer doctors can work for if they want to remain in a clinical setting, this is not true of people in the private sector.
