Junior doctors across England are set to stage a five-day strike starting from February 24th to February 28th, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).
This move comes amid an ongoing disagreement with the government over pay.
The BMA, acting as the representative body for junior doctors, is advocating for a substantial 35% pay increase, a proposal that had been previously turned down by government officials. The strike action is expected to cause disruptions and potential cancellations to various routine hospital services.
In response to the impending strike, the government has expressed its commitment to seeking a "reasonable solution" and has signaled openness to enhancing the existing pay offer. Despite junior doctors already receiving an average pay rise of close to 9% in the current financial year, discussions in late 2023, including the possibility of an additional 3% increase, failed to yield a resolution.
The BMA leadership, including Junior Doctors Committee co-chairs Dr. Robert Laurenson and Dr. Vivek Trivedi, emphasized their attempts to collaborate with the government to reach a fair agreement while striving to avert strike action. They maintained that the forthcoming strike could still be averted if a "credible offer" was presented by the government.
The BMA contends that the proposed pay hike aims to rectify what they perceive as below-inflation salary adjustments since 2008. However, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins criticized the strike action, asserting that it does not reflect a willingness to engage constructively in dialogue. The planned strike would mark the tenth instance of industrial action by junior doctors since March 2023 and follows a notable six-day strike in January, resulting in the cancellation of approximately 100,000 appointments.
Junior doctors constitute a significant portion of the NHS workforce, encompassing individuals at various career stages from recent graduates to those with over a decade of experience. The BMA is also considering further industrial action beyond the upcoming strike and is currently balloting junior doctors on this matter.
Since December 2022, over 1.2 million medical appointments have been cancelled due to strikes by various NHS personnel, including nurses, paramedics, and consultants. Furthermore, negotiations between the union and the government concerning a revised pay agreement for consultants are ongoing, following the rejection of the most recent offer.