Emergency Cover
I've been involved in lots of strikes in my time, more than I care to remember as a NUPE and Unison official, but never once did I support industrial action which led to the withdrawal of emergency cover.
The BMA union announced the other day that 'doctors are not to blame if patients die' during the course a two day strike in England and Wales which smacks of Pontius Pilate washing his hands if you ask me, as if the doctors have no other way to campaign or withdraw their labour.
Trade unions representing other staff groups who keep the country's essential services running (e.g. nurses, council carers and ambulance staff to name just a few) have never taken such a step before - and it's easy to see why.
Because the most vulnerable people in society are the ones who suffer and there's no way that they should be caught in the middle of a dispute which really boils down to how much junior doctors think they should be paid for working on a Saturday.
Dominic Lawson writing in The Sunday Times had an interesting take on the looming junior doctors strike in the NHS.
Whether you support the doctors action or not, the killer comment comes from Dr A (an ex-practioner with family members in the profession who observes: "And both sides are shroud-waving when this is a bog-standard industrial dispute about money".
What it boils down to is that the junior doctors want to be paid more for agreeing to work additional weekends when patient outcomes and mortality rates within the NHS are at comparatively poor, compared to those admitted and treated Monday to Friday.
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/comment/columns/dominiclawson/article1654262.ece
Doctor, doctor, I keep working at weekends. Should I go on strike?
One of the joys of writing this column is the response I get directly from Sunday Times readers. You are never — and I mean never — abusive, and the emails I receive are often from professionals who are vastly more knowledgable than I am on the subject matter of the week’s column.
This occurred — and on an unusual scale — in November when I wrote about the projected industrial action by junior doctors. The column went under the headline “Junior doctors invoke patient safety, but this strike is all about money”. The response from a number of Sunday Times readers in the medical profession was trenchant.
Since that strike action, having been suspended, is now almost certain to begin on Tuesday, this seems a perfect opportunity to give you an idea of what they said to me (and of my replies).
Doctor, Doctor (11/01/16)
Dominic Lawson writing in The Sunday Times had an interesting take on the looming junior doctors strike in the NHS.
Whether you support the doctors action or not, the killer comment comes from Dr A (an ex-practioner with family members in the profession who observes: "And both sides are shroud-waving when this is a bog-standard industrial dispute about money".
What it boils down to is that the junior doctors want to be paid more for agreeing to work additional weekends when patient outcomes and mortality rates within the NHS are at comparatively poor, compared to those admitted and treated Monday to Friday.
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/comment/columns/dominiclawson/article1654262.ece
Doctor, doctor, I keep working at weekends. Should I go on strike?
One of the joys of writing this column is the response I get directly from Sunday Times readers. You are never — and I mean never — abusive, and the emails I receive are often from professionals who are vastly more knowledgable than I am on the subject matter of the week’s column.
This occurred — and on an unusual scale — in November when I wrote about the projected industrial action by junior doctors. The column went under the headline “Junior doctors invoke patient safety, but this strike is all about money”. The response from a number of Sunday Times readers in the medical profession was trenchant.
Since that strike action, having been suspended, is now almost certain to begin on Tuesday, this seems a perfect opportunity to give you an idea of what they said to me (and of my replies).
Pendulum Arbitration (5 November 2013)
In the wake of the Grangemouth dispute which ended so disastrously for Unite and the credibility of the trade unions more generally - lots of people have been coming up with suggestions for improving industrial relations such as having workers on the boards of big companies - worker/directors if you like.
Now I've long been in favour of having workers represented on the board which is a feature of industrial relations in other countries, Germany for example, but like lots of good ideas it's not a miracle cure - because disputes like the one that erupted in Grangemouth are unlikely to be resolved at a board meeting.
A much more practical thing to consider would be the widespread use of 'pendulum arbitration' which involves an independent referee (arbitrator) making a decision that comes down in favour of one side or the other - i.e. in favour of either the employer or the trade union.
Employers and trade unions are often unwilling to use arbitration, especially if they think the stakes are too high, but after the near closure of the giant Grangemouth plant - maybe it is an idea whose time has finally come.
For the life of me, I cannot see any arbitrator siding with Unite over their claims of unfair treatment towards the local union convener, Stephen Deans - because all the employer was doing was investigating allegations that Deans was spending a good deal of his time on Labour Party business - which was clearly wrong.
Yet instead of Unite and Deans putting their hands up - the union called a strike and were willing too play fast and loose with thousands of jobs.
Now I've long been in favour of having workers represented on the board which is a feature of industrial relations in other countries, Germany for example, but like lots of good ideas it's not a miracle cure - because disputes like the one that erupted in Grangemouth are unlikely to be resolved at a board meeting.
A much more practical thing to consider would be the widespread use of 'pendulum arbitration' which involves an independent referee (arbitrator) making a decision that comes down in favour of one side or the other - i.e. in favour of either the employer or the trade union.
Employers and trade unions are often unwilling to use arbitration, especially if they think the stakes are too high, but after the near closure of the giant Grangemouth plant - maybe it is an idea whose time has finally come.
For the life of me, I cannot see any arbitrator siding with Unite over their claims of unfair treatment towards the local union convener, Stephen Deans - because all the employer was doing was investigating allegations that Deans was spending a good deal of his time on Labour Party business - which was clearly wrong.
Yet instead of Unite and Deans putting their hands up - the union called a strike and were willing too play fast and loose with thousands of jobs.
Fair Dinkum, Cobbers (31 October 2011)
And that seems to be an apt phrase top use in connection with the Qantas dispute - which seems to have ended - vitually overnight.
Qantas had grounded all of its flights in an increasingly biiter dispute with its trade unions - whom the company accused of making unreasonable demands.
But instead of dragging things out for months on end - the issues involved were put to an independent arbitration panel - which seems to have ruled in the company's favour and ordered everyone back to work.
Now I don't know much about the independent tribunal involved - but it does seem to have done the trick - by coming down largely in favour of one side or the other - instead of splitting hairs.
If that's what has happened it's called pendulum arbitration - which means just that - choosing between different and sometimes highly polarised arguments.
The advantage being that it encourages both sides in an industrial dispute to behave reasonably - not to exaggerate things.
Otherwise if the dispute is referred to arbitration - then the party that has been rowing its boat out too far is likely to lose.
In the UK we have ACAS - the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service - but this quango does not enjoy the best of reputations and lacks real teeth.
Everyone involved in a industrial dispute in the UK has to agree to ACAS becoming involved - and it has no history of moving quickly to bring in decisive judgments - as the long-running BA dispute being the perfect example.
So maybe our Aussie friends have come up with a good idea - Fair Work Australia is the name of the independent tribunal - which has brought the Qantas dispute to a swift end.
Fair dinkum, cobbers.
