Latest news with #payDispute
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
If Starmer caves in to junior doctors, he will destroy his last crumbs of credibility
If there were a prize for the most optimistic Cabinet minister in the country, it would surely go to Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary. Urging resident doctors not to take strike action in support of a 29 per cent pay demand, Streeting warned them: 'The public will not forgive strike action in these circumstances and nor will I.' Really, though? Because all the evidence suggests that the public have bought wholesale into the notion that poor, underpaid doctors are the modern heroes of the NHS, which is itself an institution so perfect that it is far beyond criticism. If an award was to be presented on who was more popular between the doctors or Streeting's Government, I would advise the Health Secretary not to clear a space on his mantelpiece just yet. Resident doctors (formerly known as 'junior doctors') have already announced a five-day strike at the end of this month, sending a strong signal to the Government that they mean business and that patients' welfare is to come a poor second to the priority of increasing their take-home pay. It has been reported that Streeting is 'adamant' that he will not offer the unhappy medics any more money, and so the obvious next question will be: 'How much exactly?' Ministers, after all, can hardly blame anyone else if its attempts to convince the nation that it means what it says and that it will not be influenced by external pressures to change policy is regarded with a degree of incredulity. A dispute with the residents is the last thing this Government needs. Streeting is one of Labour's more effective and courageous ministers, not to mention its best communicator. But even he will find it difficult to turn public sympathy away from resident doctors. The problem is that, just a year ago, the Health Secretary awarded them a 22 per cent pay deal over two years. Like the train drivers' settlement that was agreed by former Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, the deal came with no strings attached and with no obligation to reform outdated working practices. And, like at least some train drivers, the residents have come back for more. There is a case for looking at the doctors' pay and conditions, given how severely pay rates have suffered since the 2008 financial crash. But then, there is a case for looking at everyone's – public and private sector employees' – remuneration. Are doctors such a special case that they can demand 29 per cent when everyone else is forced to settle for single digit – and low single digit – settlements? Even a modest amount of disruption within the NHS will severely undermine the Government's efforts to clear waiting lists and improve patient care. If doctors' strike action forces the health service to take a step backwards in the next six months – and the recent BMA strike ballot gives them a mandate for industrial action in that period – only for Streeting to cave into their demands anyway, it would expose a potentially fatal weakness in this Government. As we are constantly told, Labour is the party of the NHS. What is rarely explained is why, given how precious the NHS is to voters, they have chosen to entrust the institution more frequently and for longer periods of time to the Conservatives than to the party that founded it. The esteem in which the NHS is held, despite Labour's best efforts over decades, has not rubbed off on the party. So if ministers mess up their negotiations with the resident doctors, expect voters to blame the Government with exactly the same degree of ferocity with which they would regard a Conservative Government in similar circumstances. Labour will be offered no free pass on the NHS and Streeting should be aware of this before he enters negotiations with the unhappy residents. This means that playing hardball will similarly have no worse impact on Labour than it would on the Conservatives. The Government cannot continually claim there is no money left and yet open the public purse for this or that exemption when it comes to pay. There must come a point at which ministers must start behaving as if they believe their own rhetoric on public spending. Capitulating to the resident doctors would signal an end to any pretence by the Government that it aims to get serious about public sector pay. The confrontation between the resident doctors and the Government could prove a defining one for the future of Keir Starmer's administration. If ever there were an opportunity to inject some steel into ministers' backbones, this is it. The question is whether the inevitable orchestrated avalanche of emails from doctors and their supporters to unhappy Labour backbenchers will have the same effect as in previous successful campaigns. If it does, and if Streeting and Starmer are forced to make more concessions in the face of unethical and harmful industrial action, maybe ministers should consider surrendering the reins of Government immediately, without the need for a messy general election.
The Independent
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Easyjet flights set to be disrupted as hundreds of cabin crew vote to strike
More than 650 easyJet cabin crew are set to go on strike in Spain over three days next week in a dispute regarding pay. Industrial action is set to take place from Wednesday 25 to Friday 27 June, with flight stewards walking out in Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga and Palma. No flights have yet been cancelled as as a result of the strike, but this may change. Spanish law requires airline workers to provide a minimum level of service during industrial action to limit disruption. Pier Luigi Copello, general secretary for Unión Sindical Obrera Union (USO) for easyJet Spain, said: 'The workforce is asking for decent, fair, and equitable working conditions in line with the European standards easyJet applies in other countries.' According to the union, salary differences between cabin crew at Spanish bases and those in the rest of Europe range from 30 per cent to 200 per cent. Mr Copello pointed to the 'sharp rise in the cost of living in Spain, which is now comparable to that of other European countries'. He added: 'The same cannot be said for the wages of easyJet cabin crew in Spain, which remain close to the minimum wage. According to Spanish media, a mediation session between the union and the airline is scheduled to take place today (Wednesday) 'in an effort to reach an agreement that could lead to the strike being called off'. A spokesperson for easyJet told The Independent: 'We currently plan to operate our full schedule as normal and would like to reassure customers that we will do all possible to minimise the impact of any action.' Kenton Jarvis, easyJet's chief executive, revealed a raft of measures to try to protect summer passengers from disruption caused by air-traffic control constraints, strikes and bad weather. Holidaymakers flying in Europe face the worst air traffic control issues in a quarter of a century this summer – with 30 million UK air passengers set to be delayed between June and August.
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
REAL reason Sophie Kasaei quit Geordie Shore revealed as behind the scenes fallout exposed
THE REAL reason behind Sophie Kasaei's Geordie Shore departure can be revealed after a behind the scenes fallout. Sophie, 35, who has been a staple on the hit reality show on-and-off since its 2011 debut, walked away due to an ongoing pay dispute with MTV. 4 The reality star had been in negotiations with the network for several months, hoping to secure a pay rise that reflected her longstanding contribution to the show. However, despite numerous discussions and back-and-forths, the two sides ultimately couldn't reach an agreement. A source told The Sun: 'Sophie had been in discussions about a pay rise with MTV for months, but in the end, they couldn't agree on a figure. "Sophie decided to walk away as she felt she was worth more than they were offering - she has been on the show for a long time and brings a lot to the table. "There was a lot of back and forth, and in the end, negotiations stalled. "Sophie was gutted as she was really keen to come back, but she doesn't want to undersell herself.' Representatives for MTV and Sophie have been contacted for comment by The Sun. We previously told how Sophie had quit the series - just weeks after Scotty T was axed. An insider told us at the time: "Sophie has been in negotiations with show bosses for weeks now, but they can't agree on the terms of her next contract. "Sophie doesn't really want to leave, but she feels she feels like she brings a lot to the show and has been there a long time, so she wanted her new contract to reflect that. "Sadly, an agreement couldn't be reached, and while there could always be a last minute bid to keep her from MTV, as it stands right now, Sophie is walking away." Sophie, who joined ITVBe reality show The Only Way Is Essex in 2023, also has her hands full with a number of other projects. They continued: "She's sad about it, because the show has been a huge part of her life, but she has lots of other things going on - she's a regular on TOWIE, she's focusing on starting a family with her boyfriend Jordan and she has a radio show and lots of brand deals so she won't be short of work." Sophie's shock exit will come as a major blow to her fellow co-stars - including viewers of the much-loved show. "It's a blow for the show though as lots of the long standing cast members have departed, from Charlotte to Scotty T, and every time a much-loved Geordie departs, the show loses a bit of that magic that has allowed it to run for all these years," they added. 4 4
