Junior Doctors’ Contracts

Part of Opposition Day — [8th allotted day] – in the House of Commons at 4:21 pm on 28 October 2015.

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Photo of Heidi Alexander Heidi Alexander Shadow Secretary of State for Health 4:21, 28 October 2015

The problem with how the Government have handled the negotiations is that they have provided absolutely no clarity to junior doctors about what the proposals would mean for them individually. Everyone thinks that they are going to lose out.

The Government say that they want to reduce the number of hours defined as “unsocial” and thereby decrease the number of hours that attract a higher rate of pay. They say that they will put the rate of pay for plain time up to compensate, but there is no guarantee that the amount by which basic pay goes up will offset the loss of pay associated with fewer hours being defined as unsocial. Does the Secretary of State understand that those who work the most unsociable hours, the junior doctors who sacrifice more of their weekends and nights, feel that they have the most to lose?