For the first time in 40 years Doctors in the UK are going on strike!
Click Here to Read the Article
The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union certified for all Doctors and Dentists covered by the British National Health Service.
Click Here to Read More About the British Medical Association
Contract negotiations are heating up in the United Kingdom (UK) and they are not going well for any of the parties. The Government is threatening to impose employment terms and conditions and, in response, the BMA is withdrawing their labour, in the form of services to the public and holding one day strikes.
This situation brings up many issues that are relevant to collective barraging in the public sector. The primary concern that is always discussed is, whether certain groups for reason of public safety should not be allowed to strike. Let’s leave that topic of discussion for another day!
What’s of greater interest, that gets little attention in the public sector, is whether or not negative labour relations affects future recruitment in the public sector?
Click Here to Read Some Statistics from the Guardian Newspaper in the UK
- Physicians applying to be trained as specialists has dropped 9.2%
- The number of General Physician applications has dropped close to 25%
These sobering statistics are worth pondering, in relation to the future of medical care in the UK. The UK is becoming one of the most populated countries in all of Europe; With the decline in physician training and recruitment, will it also become unhealthier?
Discussion Questions:
- How does negative labour relations affect an employer’s ability to recruit and retain highly specialized employees?
- Do public sector employers have to be worried about their public image with employees?