My blood BOILS when smug fuckers claim that doctors and nurses are putting lives at risk by demanding their worth. It’s such a cheap shit, and entirely disingenuous.
I can guarantee, based on how similar strikes have worked in my own country, that patient safety has been at the forefront of any planned actions. Why were there still staff on hand to cover the absences? Not because they don’t believe in the cause or are crossing the picket line, but because it was agrees that they would cover while others went on strike.
Does this put pressure on the system? Yes, that’s the point. What’s a strike without pressure? If you don’t pay people enough or give them opportunities, they will leave and you’ll be in the same position.
The problem with trying to successfully strike for medical staff is that the people in charge don’t actually give two shits about patients. They will let a thousand people die before they give doctors or nurses what they deserve. They are betting that the people whose job it is to save lives aren’t willing to put people in actual risk, and will cave long before they do.
And it’s going to work.