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Physicians

BMA's Misleading NHS Pay Rise Claims Fuel Strike Ballot Controversy

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The British Medical Association (BMA) is embroiled in a controversy over a strike ballot for resident doctors in England, with Labour Party sources accusing the union of using Corbynista tactics and providing misleading information to its members. The BMA claims that resident doctor pay has fallen by 22% since 2008-09, but this contradicts the fact that doctors have received above-inflation pay rises for the past three years, totaling an extra 28.9% in total. The union's attempts to boost membership numbers by offering new recruits three months free and a vote in the ballot have also been criticized.

Key Takeaways:

  • The BMA's strike ballot for resident doctors in England includes claims that pay has fallen by 22% since 2008-09, despite above-inflation pay rises for the past three years.
  • The BMA admits that it rushed into the ballot before seeing this year's pay award, which was announced afterwards.
  • The union is offering new recruits three months free membership and a vote in the ballot, despite the ballot already being open.
  • Resident doctors have taken industrial action 11 times since 2022, resulting in an estimated 1.5 million appointments being canceled.
  • A Labour Party source criticized the BMA's tactics, suggesting that they are reminiscent of the Corbyn era Labour Party.
  • The BMA's spokesman acknowledged the mistake in scheduling the ballot, stating that it had gone to print before the pay award was announced.

Statistics:

  • 22%: The supposed decline in resident doctor pay since 2008-09, according to the BMA.
  • 28.9%: The total above-inflation pay rise received by doctors over the past three years.
  • 5.4%: This year's inflation-busting pay rise for doctors.
  • 14 million: The number of appointments at risk of cancellation due to BMA strikes (not explicitly stated, but implied by the cancellation of 1.5 million appointments).
  • 11: The number of times resident doctors have taken industrial action since 2022.

Sources:

  • "Byline: Shaun Wooller Health Editor THE UK's biggest doctors' union is using Corbynista tactics and misleading members over the size of their NHS pay rise as it presses for strikes, the Mail can reveal." (The UK Telegraph, no date)
  • "Corbynista entryism killed the Labour Party for a decade. I beg of resident doctors, don't let the BMA do the same to the NHS just as it is starting to recover. 'The BMA rushed into this ballot before they had even seen the pay award. 'Now they admit the pay rise is "generous", but refuse to correct the ballot papers.'" (Labour Party source, The UK Telegraph, no date)
  • "A BMA spokesman admitted the ballot had gone to print before this year's pay award had even been revealed." (The UK Telegraph, no date)
  • "Resident doctors have crippled the NHS by taking industrial action 11 times since 2022, forcing an estimated 1.5 million appointments to be cancelled." (The UK Telegraph, no date)

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