Junior doctors to strike for three days next month in row over pay – after nurses pause walkouts
JUNIOR doctors in England will strike next month in a row over pay, it has been announced.
Action is planned for three days from March 13, the British Medical Association (BMA) said today.
On Monday it was revealed that 98 per cent of the 45,000 junior doctors balloted by the BMA voted to strike.
Almost 37,000 votes were cast, meaning this was the largest ever turnout for a ballot of doctors by the union.
It was also a record number of junior doctors voting for strike action.
It comes as nurses said they would pause walkouts in order to enter discussions with the Government.
However, after unions said workers would pause strikes, fresh action was also announced to take place on March 8.
Unison’s new strike date will include paramedics, blood collection workers, healthcare assistants, cleaners, porters — and even some nurses.
Ambulance workers at Unite had already planned strikes for March 6 and March 20.
Downing Street this week refused to deny ministers could reopen last year’s pay offer for nurses — a key demand of the unions — to break the deadlock.
Junior doctors last went on strike in 2016, when now-Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was Health Secretary.
Those strikes led to more than 3,000 operations being cancelled.
The union claims junior doctors — whose duties include ordering tests or X-rays, discharging patients and referring them to other teams — have faced a “real-terms pay cut of more than 26 per cent” since 2008.
It said this year’s pay offer of 2 per cent was “insulting” and meant medics are “working more than a month for free” because of inflation.
Robert Laurenson, BMA junior doctors committee co-chair said those who voted had taken a stand for the profession.
“Turnout was unprecedented, the most junior doctors that have ever voted for strike action.
“It’s with this enormous mandate that we will take to the picket lines.
“We believe a 72 hour full walkout will show our resolve to the Government. We are serious about full pay restoration and the sooner that is understood the better,” he said.
‘NO CHOICE’
He added that the Government has ‘left us with no other choice than to strike’.
Laurenson added that the profession would not be in this position if the Government had come to the table to negotiate.
“But a 26.1 per cent pay cut since 2008 combined with an insulting offer of a 2 per cent increase during a cost of living crisis is beyond the pale,” he added.
On Wednesday, the BMA held talks with the Department of Health, but had been disappointed that Steve Barclay didn’t attend.
Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the junior doctors’ committee, said: “There was no offer on the table and the Department made it clear they are not ready to enter negotiations.”
The BMA had given the department 24 hours to respond to their request, claiming he had ‘dragged his feet’ for far too long.
Experts have warned that there will no improvement to the NHS until it has more manpower.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies warned the waiting list of 7million people will “flatline” this year.
And MPs on the Public Accounts Committee said plans to reform local health boards are “paralysed”.
Pat Cullen, general secretary at the RCN, threatened to continue strikes until May without a pay rise from ministers.
The pay row is blocking efforts to cut the surgery waiting list, which surged from 4m to 7m during the pandemic.
Hospitals need to do a third more ops than in 2019 to make a real dent in the queue this year – but did fewer each month for most of last year, the IFS said.