Following the first day of strike action by junior doctors last week, we spoke to Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis (of the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee National Executive) about the medics’ dispute and the ongoing fight to defend the NHS. Although the strike planned for next week has been cancelled, the junior doctors’ struggle continues.
Following the first day of strike action by junior doctors last week on Tuesday 12th January, we spoke to Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis, member of the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee National Executive, about the medics’ dispute and the ongoing fight to defend the NHS. Although the strike action planned for next week has been cancelled, the junior doctors’ struggle continues.
In Yannis’ eyes, the first strike day was “a perfect day of industrial action”, which “could not have gone better”. According to Yannis, “The vast majority of doctors who voted for strike action took part,” and there was wide support for the action from “patients, their relatives, local residents and fellow health workers”.
Not everyone was so supportive of the strike, however. The right-wing media, Yannis states, were “nothing more than the mouthpieces of the Tory government”, “consistently and systematically attempting to mislead the public”.
“The tabloid press”, Yannis continued, “played a rather threatening and coercive role: turning up at doctors’ doorsteps late in the evening; calling doctors’ relatives and colleagues; and raking through the private lives of ordinary doctors with a view to splashing them on the front pages.”
Despite these attacks and smears from the media and the government, Yannis says that the mood amongst junior doctors is “resolute”. “The successful first day of industrial action, and the public’s supportive stance,” Yannis assures us, “has galvanised junior doctors and given us huge confidence”.
The BMA today suspended the 48-hour strike action that was planned for the end of this month, whilst negotiations continue. Nevertheless, the planned all-out strike for 10th February is still on the cards, if the Tories fail to meet junior doctors’ demands. Yannis remains vigilant, stressing that, “Our mandate remains: we will go out on strike again if the need arises…The government is now on the back foot; however, the fight is not over.”
Meanwhile, he is confident that BMA members will “continue this fight far into 2016” and “engage in all forms of industrial action if necessary”. “Our members are aware that if we are to win this there may have to be alternating periods of industrial action, interspersed with negotiation,” Yannis stated.
Importantly, it should be emphasised that the junior doctors’ fight is only the first wave of action against the Tories’ attempts to dismantle the NHS. “Let us be under no doubt,” Yannis asserted, “that the junior doctors’ struggle is a struggle for the very future of the NHS.”
“Other NHS staff have fully recognised the importance of our contract dispute for their own working lives and have been vocal in their support for us…It is also widely known that the nursing profession as a whole is next in the firing line with regards to some key aspects of the contract reforms that the government wants to push through.”
Yannis did not rule out the possibility that the junior doctors’ struggle could expand and become part of a future NHS-wide strike, noting that, “It is very difficult to give a clear answer…given that the UK has some of the most restrictive anti-trade union laws in the developed world.”
Nevertheless, Yannis highlighted the tremendous support and solidarity offered by the rest of the labour movement towards the junior doctors. However, he was critical of the shadow health secretary, Heidi Alexander MP, who, in his opinion, “is failing to communicate to the public the contract dispute’s relevance to wider society”; a point that could easily be made by “highlighting the fact that this dispute is taking place within the wider context of austerity and the concerted undermining of the public sector.”
“I think that it will be the role of Corbyn and McDonnell,” Yannis said, “to start making the necessary political arguments.”
The fight now must be to defend the NHS against Tory cuts and privatisation. The rhetoric from the Tories, Yannis claims, is a lie. Their real aim is simple: “to get doctors, and the rest of our NHS colleagues, working longer hours, for less pay, with fewer resources, so that, in the pursuit of austerity, they can succeed in destroying the very existence of a safe, effective, publicly-funded NHS.”
“They want the NHS to fail, and to do so visibly. They will then use that as a pretext for introducing user charges, as well as selling off key components of the NHS to the private sector for profit – in whose interests the Conservative Party operates.”
The Corbyn-led Labour Party should be making their support for the junior doctors’ struggle clear, explicitly making the link – as Yannis suggests – between the doctors’ fight and the general fight to save the NHS and oppose austerity.
Instead of endless cuts and privatisation, as offered by the Tories, the Labour Party should be promising to bring all previously outsourced healthcare services back under public control, nationalising the profiteering big pharma companies without compensation, and funding the NHS by expropriating the wealth of the 1%, as part of a socialist plan of production. Only in this way can we put an end to austerity and guarantee a lifetime of decent, free healthcare for all.
Full interview with Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis, BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee National Executive (personal capacity).
This interview was conducted before the latest announcement by the BMA regarding the cancellation of the strike action planned for 26-28th January.
Socialist Appeal: How do you feel the first day of strike action went?
Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis: The first day, on Tuesday 12th January, was a perfect day of industrial action; the strike could not have gone better. The vast majority of doctors who voted for strike action took part. Turnout on the pickets was excellent. The pickets and the Meet the Doctors events were well organised and the response from the public and fellow health workers was overwhelmingly positive. Tens of thousands signed our petition (supporting our strike) and it was incredibly moving to experience the kind words and gestures of solidarity from patients, their relatives, local residents and fellow health workers.
What role has the mainstream media played in this dispute, both in terms of the Tory press (the Sun, Telegraph, Daily Mail and Times) and the supposedly “neutral” media like the BBC?
The right-wing press consistently and systematically attempted to obfuscate the issues and to mislead the public. The editors of these newspapers made a clear decision to distort reality in almost every article which they published on the contract dispute. They were nothing more than the mouthpieces of the Tory government.
There is also clear evidence that Conservative MPs fed stories to right-wing newspapers in order to smear doctors and to question the motivations of the strikers.
The tabloid press in particular also played a rather threatening and coercive role: turning up at doctors’ doorsteps late in the evening; calling doctors’ relatives and colleagues; and raking through the private lives of ordinary doctors with a view to splashing them on the front pages.
In parallel to this there was a systematic witch-hunt against specific BMA members who had any present or past involvement with the Labour Party.
These Tory-sympathising newspapers also vociferously attempted to shut down any debate on the wider political issues of NHS funding, austerity and privatisation.
With regards to the more “liberal” media: with a few honourable exceptions, the BBC has been generally hostile to junior doctors and uninterested in having a sincere debate. Liberal broadsheets such as the Guardian have been on the whole rather passive during the course of this dispute – although we have had some excellent letters published in their back pages by junior doctors and their relatives
What is the mood like amongst the junior doctors now? How far do you think people are willing to go?
The mood is resolute, quietly optimistic and very mindful of the fact that this dispute will not be won in a few weeks. The successful first day of industrial action (and the public’s supportive stance) has galvanised junior doctors and given us huge confidence. I am in no doubt that the BMA membership is willing to continue this fight far into 2016 and to engage in all forms of industrial action if necessary. Our members are aware that if we are to win this there may have to be alternating periods of industrial action, interspersed with negotiation.
How has the government responded to the strike so far? Are they digging their heels in, or do you think they could make a tactical retreat?
Industrial action (and the credible threat of industrial action) works. Before our first day of industrial action, some outside of the BMA had expressed concern that the government would withdraw all offers from the table if we dared to follow through on industrial action. That concern has proven to be unfounded. The government is now on the back foot. However, the fight is not over.
Do you think the Tories will offer enough of a compromise to avert further strike action, or do you think the next planned days of action will go ahead?
The ball is now in the government’s court. The specific timetable for further industrial action could well change (as it already has from our original proposal in December), and that’s fine. This would be with a view to furthering the chance of genuine negotiations. However, our mandate remains: we will go out on strike again if the need arises. Although I do fervently hope that the government does not push us towards it again, I think it is highly likely that further industrial action will indeed be necessary.
Some people we spoke to on the picket lines said they think the struggle could extend to consultant doctors, as well as other NHS staff – particularly the nurses. Do you think this could happen? Are any moves being made to co-ordinate a more general NHS-wide strike?
Let us be under no doubt that the junior doctors’ struggle is a struggle for the very future of the NHS. Other NHS staff have fully recognised the importance of this contract dispute for their own working lives and have been vocal in their support for us.
We have also been heartened to see the recent student movement against the government’s slashing of the NHS bursary. The BMA fully endorses the nursing and midwifery students’ opposition to this government’s vicious attack on their bursary.
It is also widely known that the nursing profession as a whole is next in the firing line with regards to some key aspects of the contract reforms that the government wants to push through.
It is very difficult to give a clear answer as to whether there could be an NHS-wide strike, given that the UK has some of the most restrictive anti-trade union laws in the developed world. These deeply undemocratic laws are a legacy of Thatcher, which the Blair and Brown governments did nothing to reverse. It is excellent that Jeremy Corbyn is expressly committed to reversing these laws, were he to be prime minister.
What role has the rest of the labour movement played in relation to the junior doctors’ struggle, including the other trade unions, Corbyn, and the Labour Party?
The grassroots of the Labour Party have been hugely supportive. It was great to see so many local residents and health activists visiting our pickets.
The other trade unions, from the firefighters’ union to the teachers’ unions (as well as many others), have also been fully supportive of us and have been unafraid to publicly stand with us.
With regards to the Parliamentary Labour Party: the shadow health secretary, Heidi Alexander MP, has done an excellent job on TV and on the floor of the House of Commons in holding the Tories to account over the detail of the junior doctors’ contract.
In my view, however, she is failing to communicate to the public the contract dispute’s relevance to wider society. She is failing to adequately make this an issue of public urgency; she is not highlighting the fact that this dispute is taking place within the wider context of austerity and the concerted undermining of the public sector.
Along with the support of grassroots Labour members, I think that it will be the role of Corbyn and McDonnell to start making the necessary political arguments.
Many people on the picket lines made the link between the junior doctors strike and the Tory desire to privatise the NHS. How clear do you think this link is?
The Tories’ claim that they want to expand the NHS into a 24/7 “elective” service; and yet they want this to occur alongside the biggest squeeze on NHS funding in its history.
This is incongruous, and the reason for that incongruity is clear. Their aim is not to build a sustainable, 24/7 NHS. That’s just a phrase they find useful in misdirecting the public. Their aim is simply to get doctors, and the rest of our NHS colleagues, working longer hours, for less pay, with fewer resources, so that in the pursuit of austerity they succeed in destroying the very existence of a safe, effective, publicly-funded NHS.
They want the NHS to fail, and visibly so. They will then use that as a pretext for introducing user charges, as well as selling off key components of the NHS to the private sector for profit – in whose interests the Conservative Party operates.
