‘THERE was no deal. There was nothing, nothing on the table,’ said Junior Doctors’ Co-chair, Robert Laurenson outside the Department of Health, yesterday morning.
Laurenson continued: ‘We are disappointed the Secretary of State for Health Barclay couldn’t offer anything, saying he did not have a mandate to do so and would have to go back to the Prime Minister.’
Asked whether the strike action would still go ahead, Laurenson responded: ‘The strikes will go ahead particularly because of the disrespect shown to other health unions.
‘We stand in complete solidarity with the nurses, and will strike unless something meaningful is presented.
‘Doctors know what they were voting for when they voted for strike action and it was only because of that decision that Steve Barclay has attended this meeting today.
‘He was unable to give us any answers, nothing to offer, nothing at all.
‘The ball is in Sunak’s court.’
The British Medical Association had been granted the first face-to-face meeting of any NHS trade union since the Health Secretary opened pay talks with the Royal College of Nursing.
Barclay’s talks with nurses have angered other NHS unions which have so far been locked out of genuine pay discussions.
Now he has treated the Junior Doctors in the same cavalier fashion.
BMA junior doctors committee co-chair Dr Vivek Trivedi said: ‘In just 10 days’ time junior doctors across England will walk out for 72 hours after the government has failed to engage with us on reversing more than a decade of real-terms pay cuts.
‘This meeting was an opportunity for the Secretary of State to avert these strikes and act to retain junior doctors and protect the future of the NHS and the care it offers patients.’
The BMA ballot saw an unprecedented 98% vote for strike action in a huge escalation of the pay dispute.
Their strike from March 13th will be the first time junior doctors have gone on a three-day strike and the first time emergency cover was not provided.
There are around 80,000 junior doctors in the NHS.
The BMA says junior doctors, who start on salaries of between £25,000 and £30,000, have seen real terms pay cut by 26.1% since 2008/09.
Meanwhile, the government has ‘finally’ approached ambulance worker unions for pay talks, less than 24 hours after the GMB announced tighter derogations.
However, the GMB has expressed concerns over the preconditions to talks, and has requested more clarity.
More than 13,000 ambulance workers are expected to walk out in an ongoing dispute about pay on March 6 and 8.
It has been 92 days since the government were informed of GMB’s strike mandate in the ambulance service.
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said: ‘The government has finally realised what we’ve been saying all along – they need to talk pay now.
‘And it is no surprise that this has come less than 24 hours after GMB ambulance workers announced tighter derogations.
‘However, the government has set some concerning preconditions and we need more clarity from them.
‘Vague promises will not cut it – ambulance workers need to know that they are going to be spoken to seriously about pay.’
Only a general strike to bring down the Tories and bring in a workers government can resolve the crisis facing the NHS and all NHS workers.
