Junior doctors paid lower hourly rate than workers to get at Pret

theguardian.com:

Junior doctors are to challenge the government over their falling pay in real terms with a campaign which highlights that they are paid a lower hourly rate than some store workers are to get from April at the food retail chain Pret a Manger.

As thousands of doctors prepare for a three-day strike in England from Monday, the British Medical Association (BMA) is to highlight how the cost of living crisis risks driving them out of the profession. Most junior doctors are starting their careers with tens of thousands of pounds in student debts.

Pret announced earlier this month that it was giving staff a third pay rise in 12 months, with its baristas able to earn up to £11.80 to £14.10 an hour depending on location and experience. The highest hourly pay in the new rates starting from April includes a bonus for providing good service.

In contrast, the basic hourly pay of junior doctor can be as low as £14.09 in the first year of work-based training. This is based on a full-time salary of £29,384 for foundation year 1 for 2022-23.

Dr Becky Bates, a junior doctor in the East Midlands, said she supported the pay rises given to Pret staff. “It’s incredibly impressive they have given repeated cost of living pay increases this year. It’s a shame the government has not seen fit to do the same for the people who work in the NHS.”

Bates now has more than £100,000 in student debt and is paid just £14.09 an hour for her current training role in paediatrics. She said: “When I started in the summer, I just had £80 in my account to last for a month. I couldn’t get a salary advance and I couldn’t afford to eat. I was borrowing money from family and friends.

“It’s going to be potentially very hard for some doctors to continue in medicine, and I