The British Medical Association is not (yet) affiliated to the TUC, but we are nonetheless proud to offer our support and solidarity to them in their contract dispute with the Secretary of State for Health. Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis, Member of BMA Junior Doctors Committee National
Executive writes:
Junior Doctors across England will
be commencing industrial action on Tuesday 12th January. We are opposing this
government’s attempt to impose an unsafe new contract on the medical
profession. It is our view that the proposed contract represents an existential
danger to the NHS as an institution.
You may be aware that the BMA had
initially suspended its planned industrial action at the start of December and
returned to talks with the Department of Health. That decision was made in good
faith. However, over the last few weeks, in the course of negotiations with
Government we have encountered only intransigence. It is clear that the
government perceives our contract issue as pivotal for its attempt to “reform”
the NHS towards a neoliberal, commercialised system. It is therefore evident to us that
we have no choice but to transform our 98% ballot mandate into action. The developments of the next few
months will have consequences stretching far into the future. This government
is wilfully putting at risk our patients' safety, the tolerability of our
working lives as NHS workers and the very viability of the NHS as a
publicly-funded, publicly-provided service.
Why we need YOU
The coming period will be the
ultimate test of the BMA’s resolve as a Union. However, we remain mindful of
the fact that the BMA is not an abstract entity operating in isolation from
wider political developments. There is no way that we can win this on our own.
We need all concerned citizens, activists and trade unionists to stand alongside
us in this fight. Over the last few months we have
been in dialogue with many trade unionists throughout the country and we have
been enormously grateful for their support both at a local and national level.
The public messages of support from our allied health worker colleagues, the
firefighters, the teaching unions and the TUC and TUCG unions have galvanised
junior doctors. We are therefore well aware that
all eyes are upon us and that the institutions which represent the wider
working class stand with us in solidarity.
We are in no doubt that Osborne,
Cameron and Hunt will use the proposed doctor’s contract as a tool for
achieving the destruction of safe terms and conditions throughout the NHS and
throughout the public sector. The Conservative Party is attempting to stretch
the NHS into an ostensibly 7-day elective service whilst simultaneously
launching the biggest assault on NHS resources in its history. The politics of
austerity represents a clear and present danger to the nation’s health.
A victory for the Junior Doctors
would signify the first real crack in the entire edifice of austerity in the
UK. Please stand with us. And when you
need us, ask us. We will stand by you.
On behalf of the entire BMA we
thank you all for your incredible support so far. Many of you will have seen
the details with regards to the planned action and I will reiterate them below.
We invite you to come out and display your visible support for us on
the days
of action.
-
The action will begin with an
emergency care-only model, which would see junior doctors provide the same
level of service that happens in their given specialty, hospital or GP practice
on Christmas Day. It will then escalate to full walk-outs. The action as
proposed is: Emergency care only — 24 hrs from
8am Tuesday 12 January to 8am Wednesday 13 January; Emergency care only — 48 hrs from
8am Tuesday 26th January to 8am Thursday 28 January; Full withdrawal of labour — from
8am to 5pm Wednesday 10th February
- The aim is to picket all major
hospitals in England on all three days of proposed action. Pickets will be in
the vicinity of the main entrances and will start at 8am, continuing until at
least 12.30pm. However, many picket sites will continue into the evening,
especially at the larger hospitals.
- Along with the pickets there will
be parallel “Meet the Doctors” events at nearby transport stops or public
spaces. We will direct you to these events from the picket.
- Please turn up on the days of
action, and give us your support. We will then inform you if other local events
are planned on the day. If you are an allied health worker, trade unionist or
campaigner please do consider bringing along the banner representing your organisation,
your working uniform or similar. We would appreciate it however if banners in
explicit endorsement of specific political parties are not displayed and that
any selling of campaign literature such as newspapers is relatively discreet.
- On the days of action, please do
debate us, educate us and invite us to address your colleagues in your
workplace or trade union branch.
We will update you on specific arrangements for Eastbourne DGH as we are informed of them.
