Off Topic The Nurses

  • Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
  • Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!
Going on strike is a very difficult thing to do, especially when times are hard and Christmas is coming.

When you know you'll be vilified by the Government, and subsequently some of the public, it's even worse.

It's not 'a bit of a lark', as some people think, and I doubt there are huge numbers of militants trying to bring down the Government ...

... they're doing a good job of that themselves.
 
So what are you trying to say then? That the nurses are being unreasonable in their demands?

I think that inflation plus five percent is fine when inflation is what it's been for the past fifteen years. Inflation plus five percent making it nineteen percent in total is ambitious, to say the least. I also know the government are stalling until inflation goes down so they can look like they've given what they were asked for.

We'd end up in a situation where the nurses are alright, but everyone else is out on strike waiting for their nineteen percent.

Just meet in the middle and get it sorted.
 
So you think the MPs are worth the rise they get but not the nhs staff?

There's an argument to be had for MPs to be paid a lot more - while removing their ability to take money from anyone else. They're not normal public sector workers though, regardless of how ****e the current crop are. A more apt comparison would be with the military, and let's not even start on that.
 
I think that inflation plus five percent is fine when inflation is what it's been for the past fifteen years. Inflation plus five percent making it nineteen percent in total is ambitious, to say the least. I also know the government are stalling until inflation goes down so they can look like they've given what they were asked for.

We'd end up in a situation where the nurses are alright, but everyone else is out on strike waiting for their nineteen percent.

Just meet in the middle and get it sorted.
They can't meet in the middle as the government keep refering to the "independent" board who rule on pay rises.

I assume you have the same view on the train driver and postal strikes?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blond Bombshell
They can't meet in the middle as the government keep refering to the "independent" board who rule on pay rises.

I assume you have the same view on the train driver and postal strikes?

I wonder why we just don't **** off all these people the government pay to run these organisations who never seem to be able to do their job as negotiators and use the money saved to improve pay and conditions.
 
I wonder why we just don't **** off all these people the government pay to run these organisations who never seem to be able to do their job as negotiators and use the money saved to improve pay and conditions.
So the health secretary and the transport minister for starters?
 
So the health secretary and the transport minister for starters?

The whole point of the independent pay board is to remove the Ministers (and political bias) from the decision making and negotiation process. If the demand is for those Ministers to be involved, we're just wasting money on people in-between them and whoever is negotiating on the worker's side.
 
The whole point of the independent pay board is to remove the Ministers (and political bias) from the decision making and negotiation process. If the demand is for those Ministers to be involved, we're just wasting money on people in-between them and whoever is negotiating on the worker's side.
Not 100% certain but I'm pretty sure my tax and ni don't contribute to the nurses union or train driver unions wages, they do however contribute to a government that hide behind a so called independent pay board.

Maybe we should have someone in charge, a prime minister we could call him, maybe he could have an assistant (call him the health secretary) who at any point could override an independent board.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blond Bombshell
Not 100% certain but I'm pretty sure my tax and ni don't contribute to the nurses union or train driver unions wages, they do however contribute to a government that hide behind a so called independent pay board.

Maybe we should have someone in charge, a prime minister we could call him, maybe he could have an assistant (call him the health secretary) who at any point could override an independent board.
I would be happy if everyone got the same pay rise as MPs as I believe they are the least deserving of any rise at all.
 
Not 100% certain but I'm pretty sure my tax and ni don't contribute to the nurses union or train driver unions wages, they do however contribute to a government that hide behind a so called independent pay board.

Maybe we should have someone in charge, a prime minister we could call him, maybe he could have an assistant (call him the health secretary) who at any point could override an independent board.

And then we're back to the nurses being alright, but everyone else out on strike waiting for their nineteen percent, knowing that their pay board will be overridden.
 
I'm exactly the same mate, I'm yet to see any of them stand up and even attempt to put forward sensible ideas to start fixing things that are wrong
None of them are up to it mate. Our political system is broken. We have had this debate on another thread. Even with Labour having a complete free run at the next govt, and the vast majority of the public and media on their side, they still wont and dont seem to be expected to propse solutions. I cant see a worthwhile vote next time around currently maybe the Libs to just hope we get a genuine 3 party system at least. The current two arguing like teenagers fails us all.

In the meantime we are stuck with the current govt and the only way out, across the public sector, because nurses arent the only ones being hard done to, is a commitmemt to a good rise now and locked in above inflation pay rises for x years. Hell of an expensive ask, but may prevent a complete economic meltdown across the sector. No expert by the way, just thinking aloud.
 
That's after years of either no pay rise or not keeping in line with the cost of living.

Worth every penny imo

Everyone is worth more money though, or we all think it.

But where from? The government has no money, no government ever does apart from that which it takes in tax at point of law.

£350bn + was spent during covid on furlough. Another £60bn on fuel subsidy.

The bills are coming in. 19% is obviously unaffordable.
 
Everyone is worth more money though, or we all think it.

But where from? The government has no money, no government ever does apart from that which it takes in tax at point of law.

£350bn + was spent during covid on furlough. Another £60bn on fuel subsidy.

The bills are coming in. 19% is obviously unaffordable.
They aren’t really after 19% that’s a figure plucked from the sky, they will settle for 8 and will be chuffed to bits<ok>