In an attempt to quell the ongoing strikes sparked by a cost-of-living crisis, the United Kingdom has extended pay raises to millions of public sector workers. The move comes as thousands of junior doctors staged a five-day walkout in protest. On Thursday, Treasury Chief Secretary John Glen announced that the government had accepted recommendations for pay increases, ensuring that doctors and teachers would receive raises of at least 6 percent.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration made this decision after carefully considering the recommendations put forth by a series of independent pay review boards. While the proposed pay increases fall below the current 8.7 percent inflation rate, their primary aim is to address the fallout from widespread industrial unrest caused by declining real wages. Junior doctors will now enjoy a 6 percent pay uplift along with a lump-sum increase of £1,250 ($1,633.25), while teachers are set to receive a 6.5 percent raise. Additionally, pay increases of 7 percent for police and 5 percent for armed forces personnel were also announced.
Glen emphasized that funding for these increases would not involve new borrowing or spending. Teachers’ pay rises, in particular, would be financed through a reallocation of the existing education department budget.
These developments unfolded as England’s state-funded healthcare service faced its longest-ever strike, with tens of thousands of doctors commencing their walkout. Referred to as junior doctors, these medical professionals, who are at the early stages of their careers, launched their strike at 7 a.m., rallying outside hospitals across England to advocate for a 35 percent pay rise. The British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors’ union, has requested this increase to restore junior doctors’ pay to 2008 levels, accounting for inflation.
The workload of England’s approximately 75,000 junior doctors has soared amidst record-high patient waiting lists for treatment, a consequence of the lingering impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Robert Laurenson and Dr. Vivek Trivedi, leaders of the BMA, labeled this strike as the longest in the history of the National Health Service (NHS). They urged the government to abandon its “nonsensical precondition” of refusing to engage in discussions during strike announcements.
On the picket lines outside London’s University College Hospital, 27-year-old junior doctor Arjan Singh highlighted the importance of this moment, stating that the NHS has been running on goodwill and that now is the last chance to change that. Singh further revealed that his colleagues were contemplating leaving for countries that value their doctors, emphasizing that doctors are aware they operate in a global market and are not bound by the limitations of one country.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay expressed concern over the impact of the five-day walkout on thousands of patients, underscoring the potential risks to patient safety and efforts to reduce NHS waiting lists. He deemed the demand for a pay increase of 35 percent or more as unreasonable, warning that such a move could fuel inflation and harm the financial well-being of everyone.
Britain, like other nations, is grappling with a bout of high inflation not seen in years. Supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led to surging energy and food prices, were among the factors driving up prices. While inflation has slightly receded from its peak, standing at 8.7 percent, it remains well above the 2 percent target set by the Bank of England.
The government’s latest offer, following over a year of elevated inflation, is likely to draw the ire of trade unions who argue that school and hospital budgets cannot absorb the cost of wage increases without reducing spending in other areas. As Sunak faces an upcoming election and lags far behind in opinion polls, he has pledged to halve inflation. Ministers have repeatedly emphasized the risk of increasing wages excessively, citing the potential to undermine the goal of curbing inflation and perpetuate rising prices.