Partway through their latest round of strike action, dozens of doctors from across the Midlands gathered at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham with a determination to win a level of pay reflecting the demands of the job.
One BMA member told us 'we’re losing doctors - everyone is training here then going to Australia or Canada for a better quality of life'. By way of comparison one doctor commented 'I earned more working as a carer through uni than as a junior doctor’ while another added ‘on some shifts porters earn £5 an hour more than we do. They deserve every penny, they keep the hospital running - all we’re asking for is the same’.
Reflecting the deep scepticism towards the existing capitalist parties willingness to solve the staffing crisis, one picket said they had no plans to vote for the local blairite MP - despite being a card carrying Labour member!