Re: Are doctors justified in taking industrial action in defence of their pensions? No
The current government proposals for reform of the NHS Pension Scheme are an insult to our profession. While noone would argue with appropiate adjustments for demographic changes the suggested measures go far beyond that. The current austerity measures are a result of the financial crisis that has been exclusively created by the high risk marketing strategies in the financial sector. The initially promised regulation of the financial sector ie. introduction of a capital transaction tax etc. has not happened. While 6-figure boni that equate to 10 times the annual wage of a NHS-Consultant are again paid out for doubtful achievements in the private sector this government has now decided to raid the pensions of the public sector.
Industrial action needs to make sure that emergency services are properly staffed and maintained so that noone is coming to harm. There are also other vital non-emergency services for example palliative care, oncology, COTE and many more, where vulnerable patients need to be protected. However there is clearly no harm if a patient has for example his/her Varicose Vein Surgery postponed because of industrial action. There are also many doctors, who are not members of the BMA and therefore not entitled to engage in industrial action, who will maintain a core service anyway. If we do nothing this is an invitation to target our pensions again when the next hole in the budget needs to be plugged.
Rapid Response:
Re: Are doctors justified in taking industrial action in defence of their pensions? No
The current government proposals for reform of the NHS Pension Scheme are an insult to our profession. While noone would argue with appropiate adjustments for demographic changes the suggested measures go far beyond that. The current austerity measures are a result of the financial crisis that has been exclusively created by the high risk marketing strategies in the financial sector. The initially promised regulation of the financial sector ie. introduction of a capital transaction tax etc. has not happened. While 6-figure boni that equate to 10 times the annual wage of a NHS-Consultant are again paid out for doubtful achievements in the private sector this government has now decided to raid the pensions of the public sector.
Industrial action needs to make sure that emergency services are properly staffed and maintained so that noone is coming to harm. There are also other vital non-emergency services for example palliative care, oncology, COTE and many more, where vulnerable patients need to be protected. However there is clearly no harm if a patient has for example his/her Varicose Vein Surgery postponed because of industrial action. There are also many doctors, who are not members of the BMA and therefore not entitled to engage in industrial action, who will maintain a core service anyway. If we do nothing this is an invitation to target our pensions again when the next hole in the budget needs to be plugged.
Competing interests: No competing interests