The dispute is being played out against a background of an escalating funding crisis, trusts being unable to meet increasing demand and a warning that the health service will experience "pockets of meltdown" this winter.
In 2002, they had generated deep bitterness by pumping £12.95m into a trust fund for their retirement - against a background of poor performance.
"This is against a background of global oil production increasing 1to2percentent a year," he says.
Their appointments were made against a background of gender imbalance.
Both were negotiated against a background of scientific uncertainty.
Against a background of sappy love tunes in praise of Chairman Mao, Death literally stalks.
It is set against a background of four decades of political turmoil.
The pilot of tablet devices comes against a background of falling IT spending at the department.
There are crack vials against a background of cardboard boxes with images of crackers.
However, this is against a background of widespread misunderstanding and mistrust of the act.
