----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon Odum"
Subject: Re: Trick & Teat is Dead
> I'm new to the site but I must agree with Danny. All of our Staff Grades
are
> excellent and hard working, and are all earning significantly LESS than
our
> SHO's. I think that some seroius thinking needs to be done if we are to
> attract more high quality Staff Grades.
> Agree that AH DOES have a lot to answer for!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hold on a minute, why is everyone suddenly criticising AH? He did a damn
good job for the juniors, and just 'cause the seniors and the career grades
haven't got their house in order, is no reason to criticise his work.
Admittedly the banding system is irritating in its construct; I imagine we'd
all have preferred to continue with ADHs but with enhanced rates. The
banding system was intended to be of a punitive/deterrent nature.
Unfortunately it's "backfired" a little as most juniors are still working
long hours, they're just getting paid ridiculous sums now which causes
resentment elsewhere. Or else those who have reduced their hours have only
done so at the expense of a sensible rota, i.e. now working split weekends
or partial shifts or the like.
The remuneration loading is supposed to be prohibitive but it just causes
huge anomalies. For example, my SHOs work approximately 20% over standard
hours (48hrs v 40hrs) yet they receive an 80% enhancement in pay (band 2A)!
Similarly there are many who work 10% over standard hours (44hrs v 40hrs)
yet they receive a 50% enhancement in total pay! Basically this amounts to
quadruple time or "time by 5" for on call work respectively! I'm on the
doctors' side yet even I think this is ridiculous!
This simply puts these inexperienced and relatively pampered first years
into the £40K+ bracket. This causes endless resentment among other grades
who are more experienced, yet who only manage to earn in the low to mid
£30Ks for the same amount of work but with higher levels of responsibility.
And we wonder why we have a recruitment crisis among non-consultant career
grades these days!
But I'm still not sure we should somehow "blame" AH for this problem. But
then again, maybe the Government were stung so badly by this, rather
perfidious, deal, that they're now anxious not to get bruised again, and are
putting up a real fight with the seniors. That's very sad really, and
perhaps a touch short-sighted, especially when you consider that we are
juniors for a very short time in the overall scheme of things. And those
very juniors who won this particular battle are already now dug into the
trenches of the seniors' war, where they'll be holed up for a lot longer...
Adrian Fogarty
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