Pressure mounts on Jeremy Hunt over handling of junior doctors' dispute | Society | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016 ... rs-dispute

Jesus wept. He's fast becoming the new IDS.

I suspect that this is really a case of semantics. You can't force someone to sign a new contract. As I know from personal experience, an employer can put a new contract in front of you and end your existing one (by giving whatever notice is specified). If you don't sign the new one your employment ends.

The Hunt contract would be the default contract from August this year IIRC and anyone renewing their contract on or after that time would either have to sign or walk away. As I recall although it's technically up to individual trusts to set their own terms and conditions, individual health authorities are being strong armed into using the contract by the NHS training body saying they won't provide training funding to any trust that doesn't go with new contract.

The whole thing is a bloody mess. Hopefully Hunt will be jettisoned soon as a result as he has no credibility as Health Secretary.

Indeed. 'Impose' almost suggested they were being forced to sign it. The thing is junior doctors are among one of the few professions that are in demand pretty much everywhere. The government is proceeding from the industrial relations angle they normally use - "Sign the contract. It's either that or the dole. Do you want to live on 75 quid a week? Do you?" However your junior doctor can simply reply "Really? screw you. I'm off to Oz for beaches & barbeques and more money". Heck if you in the midlands or north west you can commute to hospitals in Wales and not have to deal with it. This government simply can't seem to understand the notion that it doesn't have all the power in an industrial relationship.


Apparently all junior doctor contracts are a year long and they have big game of musical chairs every August, been like that for years. Seems quite inefficient to me. The trusts do have the right to offer whatever contract they like, after all they're technically private businesses.


You're assuming credibility is a requirement for a minister in this government.

They’ll just present the new contract as the one to sign when the old ones expire. Also new intake to medical school will use it too. So it’ll be fully in force by the end of the year.