Who knew it would be that easy? Who could have imagined that the Junior doctor’s strikes, which have been ongoing for sixteen months, could be settled in a matter of days.
I bet the last government are kicking themselves that they didn’t think of this earlier.
Imagine the heartache they could have avoided. Imagine the immense delays and crippling pain of all those patients forced to endure a longer than expected wait for essential surgery. The government might even have escaped the months of aggravation they received for being unable to resolve this dispute.
If only they’d thought of capitulating.
When Labour came into office, Wes Streeting said that he’d make this a priority; that he would settle this long running dispute. Whilst many of us guessed he would offer them more money, no one expected he would spray our money around on this scale. The junior doctors had been intransigently demanding a 35% rise for so long, that no one took their claims seriously. After all, if you cave in to such ridiculous demands, what next? Nurses wanting 40%? Train drivers 50%? Public Sector workers 70% and Monday’s and Friday’s off?
This wonderful pay settlement, which will no doubt be sold to the British public as a success, will cost all of us a minimum of £1 billion. And whilst few of us would begrudge junior doctor’s a reasonable pay rise, who thought 35% was reasonable? Who now thinks 20% is fair?
What really makes this such an awful settlement, unless you are a junior doctor of course, is that this news arrives on the day that Rachel Reeves tells us they have found an unexpected ‘black hole’ in the public finances of £22 billion.
Better make that £23 billion Rachel, and make room for a bit more to come yet.
With the unions already rubbing their hands with glee, expect public sector workers to get above inflation pay rises of 5.5% as well, all of which will fuel inflation. The unions can smell blood in the water now the government have made it clear that they are willing to throw pots of cash at public sector workers to keep them happy.
It’s officially open season on public finances.
With this decision, they have effectively destroyed the Bank of England’s 2% inflation target. If we didn’t have any money yesterday, we most definitely don’t have any now.
And the bit they haven’t told us; we’re expected to pay for this. Every one of us. Pensioners included.
I know they promised not to put up taxes but frankly, they have no option left but to squeeze the productive part of the economy (that’s all of us taxpayers) to fund this. The magic money tree is bare; it’s only us poor individuals who are still working that can fund this largesse.
So, congratulations Labour on sorting out one of the longest running industrial disputes in the U.K. by using money we don’t have to pay for an outrageous settlement that will leave us all poorer.
If this is what happens after three weeks in office, heaven help us after three years.