Voices: Junior doctors should see 22% pay rise deal as a compromise, say readers

Junior doctor strikes could end following the offer of a 22% pay increase – and our community have been having their say on the proposals.

When we asked , many Independent readers expressed dissatisfaction with how the Tories previously managed the NHS, criticising the former government for underfunding, mistreating doctors, and pushing for privatisation.

While some noted that British doctors often emigrate, others also pointed out that NHS doctors’ salaries are low compared to other countries, suggesting a 22% pay rise is actually modest.

Overall, most saw the pay deal as a reasonable compromise and a positive step toward improving the quality of the NHS.

Here’s what you had to say:

‘The Tories set out to destroy the NHS’

Given the state the Tories have left the country in, I would say that this is as good as the country can afford for this year. Further negotiations can take place in the future to try and restore the NHS to an acceptable standard. The doctors have been shabbily treated by the Tories and need to be compensated in a proper manner.

The Tories set out to destroy the NHS and all community services, the new government needs to have the time to try and restore them. We owe the health care staff.

How much do people think doctors of all kinds would be paid if the NHS did not exist? Do people really think that they would be paid less? How much would insurance premiums cost if the NHS did not exist? The NHS is cheap in comparison to other systems and some people are too cheap to fund it properly.

That the Tories were not prepared to resolve this dispute, just goes to show the depths that they were prepared to sink to in order to destroy the NHS and prolong the waiting times for people needing treatment.

WinstonSmith2

‘Mismanaged public pennies’

If you give to one group then you will have to settle with the rest.

There is always enough money for everyone, unfortunately, politics makes sure that public pennies are mismanaged!

Chris

‘Medicine on the cheap’

What Joe Public does not seem to know is that more than 5,000 British doctors emigrate every year and are "replaced" by cheap Third World "doctors" of dubious qualifications and training.

Doctor’s incomes in every other civilised country are far higher than here. For too long, silly politicians have sought to have medicine "on the cheap". No wonder the NHS is so dreadful with massive waiting lists for almost everything. Mind you that is not helped by legal immigration of 1.2 million every year.

BillEastman111

‘Lousy’

People who save lives are worth far, far more than a lousy 20% pay rise.

BeansNToast

‘I hope Streeting is listening’

Of course it's not enough, but we hope the junior doctors understand the predicament the Tories have put us in and accept it. Hopefully over time what they have lost can be made up. At least Labour have come to a sensible agreement.

I understand that the Tories were running the NHS and all public services into the ground, preparing the fed-up public for the wholesale sale of everything, to their friends. Just as they did with water, transport and energy, and we can see where that has brought us. The NHS privatisation has already begun in earnest under the Tories, our GP and dental services are now owned by US multinationals. Imaging services (xray, mri) in major London hospitals are now outsourced. All this needs to be brought back in-house. I hope Wes Streeting is listening.

punda

‘Lumbers the taxpayer’

A junior doctor after five years of service has an average salary of sixty thousand pounds, has just had a twelve thousand pound pay rise, and not only that but this also lumbers the taxpayer with a huge pension to pay for.

Salt and Vinegar

‘Gone on too long’

This has gone on for too long… the previous government had no interest in resolving it. They cared nothing for the NHS. They were a bunch of deceitful disingenuous miscreants and they should hang their heads in shame

HappilyRetiredWoman

‘A reasonable compromise’

The public doesn’t know that a “junior” doctor could be a doctor in training who is not a consultant and this means that a junior doctor could even be 40 or more years old. So this is a misleading term.

Now for the amount of time and effort the doctors have invested and the amount of work they do their salary is one of the lowest. So 20% is not a lot but it sounds a reasonable compromise.

So the public believes that £4-5k per month for someone who has spent 15 years to become a safe and high-quality doctor is a lot. Don’t worry NHS has started replacing GPs with cheap labour called associate physicians. They can treat people after two years of training only. Perhaps not as good as proper doctors but at least they are cheap.

And sooner or later, when health care becomes private, the public will miss the old good NHS with the good doctors. And remember next time your appendix may be removed by a non-doctor that you asked for it because he/she is cheap

TiredAllTheTime

‘Settling the dispute is essential’

Sounds like the sort of compromise that the last government could have agreed if they hadn't been determined to undermine the NHS to make way for their private health friends.

Settling the dispute is an essential first step to getting the health service on the road to recovery.

Carolan

‘Get our priorities right’

That's really not the priority to me. These people are well-paid. We have millions of children under the poverty level. Let's get our priorities right.

Noblah

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