"There is no funding, there is no plan, there is no model. You cannot stretch an already under-staffed NHS to seven days withou staff, without funding... and impose a contract"
Dear Reader. Here is a very quick guide to answer questions about the junior doctor pay dispute.
1) "The junior doctors are greedy and just want more pay". The junior doctors and the BMA were not insisting on a new contract. The old one works fairly well, but needed to be updated. The goverment are the ones who want to force a new contract through.
2) "They don't want to work weekends". They already do. Most junior doctors have worked every second or third weekend since qualifying. Like most of us, they'd prefer to be paid more at weekends. The new contract basically defines a weekend as 'Sunday evening'.
3) "They're all communist / Trotsky / lefty militants who want to bring down the Government". They're a bunch of A grade graduates who want to help people. In the 1980s, junior doctors didn't strike over 100+ hour weeks. In the 2000s, junior doctors didn't strike over the career-destroying MMC/MTAS. In fact, this is the first series of strikes in 40+ years. Compare this to tube drivers, who strike far more often. Not exactly militant behaviour by the juniors, is it?
4) "They're playing politics with the NHS". They will be losing a quarter of their monthly wages, and may need to repeat their training year as a result of these strikes. Meanwhile, multi-millionaire, Jeremy Hunt could end the industrial action in seconds.
