Prof Philip Banfield, Chairman of BMA Council had opened the rally. He said: ‘Every day I am 100% committed to restoring your pay and doing my utmost.
‘Our amazing speakers include the indomitable Mick Lynch. He has raised the profile of his own members with regard to safety, He cuts through the politicians’ smoke and mirrors and downright lies, and takes on the media.
‘With rising pressure on living standards, it is more important than ever to show workers will stand up. Safe railways are needed to get to work. Railway workers need doctors. There is no divide between them and us.
‘Also speaking will be Rob Laurenson and Vivek Trivedi the Junior Doctors Committee co-chairs. It’s not easy being junior doctors.
‘Finally Emma Runswick Deputy Chair of BMA Council will address you – a committed trade unionist, full of talent.
‘The entire profession is under attack. There is the biggest pressure on resources in the last ten years. Funding has gone down. Bed numbers have gone down. The workload pressure in primary care has never been greater. Covid has taken lives and people are still living with the after-effects of Covid. Politicians were clapping NHS workers but this won’t pay the bills.
‘We are short of 10,000 doctors and there are almost 50,000 nurse vacancies. When we talk about industrial action, suddenly they want to talk about safe staffing on strike days!
‘What about the other 365 plus days of the year?
‘We will do all we can to stop legislation taking away the right to strike. They are demanding more productivity when we are burning ourselves out.
‘They are tearing up the social contract. There were already 4.5m on the waiting list before the pandemic. This is the 5th richest economy in the world. What is going on is a shameful reality. The health of the nation depends on the NHS.
‘I started as a porter. This can’t go on. All unions are striking or balloting. This is a turning point. Only a successful ballot will show our will. All have to stand up and be counted. We must get the vote out. This is an opportunity we cannot waste. We will not accept scapegoating of health workers.
‘We are going to back you all the way. This is your union. We are going to demand what we are worth. We are all in this together.
‘I am going to try and model myself on Mick and stand up for our workers and battle against misinformation.’
Rob Lawrence and Vivek Trivedi co-chairs of the Junior Doctors Committee, spoke next.
‘Full time NHS, we are spokesmen not leaders. There are media hits on Emma and us. It’s water off a duck’s back. We don’t hold the power, you do.
‘It’s gone on too long. We want our pay restored. We have to put up with a single tea bag as thanks, or sitting on a bin. Accommodation is stripped from us.
‘We have to go across country (to a new posting), often on the direction of a random number of an exam result. Study leave for study is denied, weekend leave is denied. Pay is cut for 15 years.
‘We will come out of this deep winter with energy restored. A profession on its knees has a chance to rise. 4,000 doctors joined the BMA in the last two weeks. You are on the winning side. We have to do what’s right to win this fight for ourselves, our families and patients. You are a union that can win pay restoration now.
‘But there are foundations to fix and so much more – such as the specialty training bottlenecks. Employers treat our contracts as things they can break e.g. no place to rest after a hard shift, no hot food. We are not worth a quarter less than our colleagues in 2008.
‘We are up against institutional power and inertia. In 2016, Osborne said “fix the roof while the sun is shining”. Was it deliberate? You cannot rely on the government or the opposition or the Royal Colleges. They have cut our services and slashed our wages. We come in to subsidise what our employers are asking us to do.
‘Goodwill has been spent. The government is in debt to us and the bell tolls for pay restoration. Never again. There is power when we stand together to correct what this government has put on us. Power to the doctors!’
Vivek said: ‘The next few months could be rocky. They’ll try and split the public against us.
‘We are not worth less than in 2008. Together we can win back our pay, restore our value, and negotiate.’
Emma Runswick, Deputy Chair of BMA Council said: ‘We’re ready to take on the government and employers. We’re a changing union and they’ve noticed. We’re not accepting terms and conditions watered down or working harder.
‘Living standards are going down. We won’t be going to the government cap-in-hand. The talks are lovely noises, but there has been nothing of substance gained.
‘There are more JDs in the BMA than ever before. We need a super-majority and to convince colleagues and achieve a turn-out of over 50%.
‘The government has got money. There were huge profits made from Test and Trace and PPE contracts. There is uncollected tax.
‘The Pay Review Body is a lost cause.
‘You can win this fight or lose it. We are not worth 26% less than 2008. We are highly skilled workers and we have a price.
‘There are enormous pressures in the NHS and staff are exhausted. There is a chance here.
‘The time is now. Remind your colleagues to vote and record their vote.
‘All of us are worried about safety, staffing and training. Nurses, paramedics and care workers have nowhere else to go. We must organise meetings and Q&A sessions amongst consultants, specialists and GPs. We’ve got five weeks.
‘We can show the government we are united. Collective action is hard. We are a changing union. We’re not going to accept this any more.’
All the speeches were met with tumultuous applause. Placards were than handed out and a photo-shoot was made of the upstanding members and leaders.
Charlotte, from St George’s Hospital in London told News Line: ‘As a final year medical student, morale is so low – it’s difficult to want to continue. But, I’ve wanted to be a doctor all my life.
‘They are trying so hard to privatise primary care.
‘It’s awful to see medics taking responsibility for risks. Patients are unwell and dying, but we can’t see them in time. With children, especially, doctors are having to decide whether a child is OK or not in five minutes.’
Ella Birch, House Officer from Fourth Valley Hospital, Glasgow said: ‘Every day I feel I cannot give the care I mean to give. Everyone is exhausted, having to pick up extra shifts, working through lunch, staying late.’
