I I am a Labor Prime Minister who believes in workers' right to strike. But let's clarify the situation with the strikes. planned by resident doctors next week. They shouldn't happen. They are reckless. They are putting the NHS and the patients who need it at grave risk.
I remain hopeful that they can be prevented. A lucrative deal is on the table and the British Medical Association (BMA) we will offer this to the participants this weekend. My message to doctors is simple: embrace it.
After all, you are no longer fighting a government that sees industrial conflict as a way to score cheap political points. We recognize the damage caused by years of Tory austerity. Under this government, your salary has increased by 28.9% over the past three years. We invested record amount for the NHS, reducing waiting times. And we've listened to your concerns about employment and training.
Here's what's new in the latest deal. We are proposing legislation that will give priority to UK medical graduates for medical jobs from next year. We will increase the quantity seats for 4000, giving new hope to doctors left out of work next year. And we have offered to cover other tuition costs such as royal college membership and exam fees.
But we also made another offer to the BMA leadership: the possibility of extending their mandate so that strikes could be brought forward to after Christmas if our offer was rejected. Don't get me wrong – of course I would prefer to see them cancelled. I'd rather see resident doctors get a deal that improves their training and career prospects and puts money in their pockets. But under the circumstances, I wanted to make sure that we left no stone unturned in our efforts to protect National Health Service.
Be under no illusions: these circumstances are potentially dire. “super flu'The epidemic sweeping the country means this is an NHS problem' the most dangerous moment since the pandemic. Last week, an average of 2,660 hospital beds were occupied by flu patients each day—55% more than the previous week and much more than this time last year. And the epidemic continues to grow.
Having lived through a pandemic, we all know what this means. This means battle. On hospital wards across the country, NHS staff will be working around the clock to ensure patients get the care they need and the NHS stays afloat. In fact, fellow resident doctors will be canceling surgeries, canceling Christmas holidays and preparing for the coming storm. The idea that strikes could still take place in this context is, frankly, implausible.
Therefore, resident doctors must vote to end them. For patients, for the NHS and for the whole country, this dispute must now end. A fair deal for doctors is on the table. And instead of fighting this Christmas, we can come together to improve the NHS we love.
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Keir Starmer – Prime Minister of Great Britain
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