Junior doctors in England are set to strike from 27 June to 2 July, as announced by the British Medical Association (BMA) in their ongoing dispute over pay.
The BMA’s junior doctors committee co-chairs, Dr. Robert Laurenson and Dr. Vivek Trivedi, emphasized their longstanding demand for the government to address the significant pay reductions experienced by junior doctors over the past 15 years. They claim that these reductions amount to more than a quarter of their pay in real terms.
“We made clear to the government that we would strike unless discussions ended in a credible pay offer,” said Laurenson and Trivedi. “For more than 18 months, we have been asking Rishi Sunak to put forward proposals to restore the pay junior doctors have lost over the past 15 years.”
They expressed frustration over the lack of progress despite entering mediation with the government earlier this month. “Clearly no offer is now forthcoming. Junior doctors are fed up and out of patience,” they added.
The BMA leaders stressed that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could still take steps to prevent the strike. “Even at this late stage, Mr. Sunak has the opportunity to show that he cares about the NHS and its workers. It is finally time for him to make a concrete commitment to restore doctors’ pay,” they stated. “If during this campaign he makes such a public commitment that is acceptable to the BMA’s junior doctors committee, then no strikes need go ahead.”
The upcoming strike is the latest action in a series of industrial efforts by junior doctors seeking to address pay disparities and improve working conditions within the NHS.
