When is the next junior doctor strike? June 2023 walkout dates
As the summer of discontent continues, junior doctors in England are to strike in June over pay and conditions.
This month is seeing industrial action in a range of sectors, including refuse workers, train drivers and civil servants, and the UK’s railways were almost reduced to a standstill, impacting events such as the FA Cup final.
Security staff at Heathrow are also due to walk out for 31 days this summer starting mid-June, piling on misery for those travelling – who have also been hit by a French air traffic control strike.
Further walkouts by teachers this summer and autumn are also on the cards.
The upcoming junior doctors’ strike is expected to cause ‘major disruption’ according to NHS Providers – during the four-day strike in April, an estimated 350,000 appointments (including operations) are said to have been cancelled.
And the British Medical Association (BMA) has warned that more strikes by junior doctors could continue throughout the summer unless agreement is reached.
So why are junior doctors striking and when are they walking out?
Here’s what you need to know.
When is the next junior doctors’ strike?
The next junior doctors’ strike will begin at 7am on Wednesday, June 14 and last for 72 hours, ending at 7am on Saturday, June 17.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said strike action will go ahead after the government failed to make a ‘credible offer’ on pay.
The union added: ‘If the Government doesn’t change their position, we will strike throughout the summer. This means we will call a minimum of three days of action every month for the duration of our mandate for industrial action.’
Why are doctors striking?
Essentially, the strike is over pay.
The BMA is seeking ‘a deal that fully restores pay for junior doctors after the more than 26% drop they have suffered over the last 15 years’.
The union has been asking for a 35% increase to make up for 15 years of below-inflation rises.
A government spokesperson called the new pay offer ‘fair and reasonable’, and said it was ‘surprising and deeply disappointing’ that the BMA had declared further strikes while ‘talks were ongoing’.
Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, said that since April’s strikes, they have had three weeks of negotiations with the government.
‘In the end, however, the Government would simply not accept the fundamental reality of the pay cuts junior doctors have faced.
‘This was made clear when they finally made their pay offer of 5%.’
‘Not only is that nowhere near addressing pay erosion over the last fifteen years, it would not even have matched inflation this year. We are not in these meetings to agree to have our pay cut further, and the Government knows that. This was simply not a credible offer.’
In Scotland, junior doctors have been offered a new 14.5% pay rise over a two-year period after negotiations with the Scottish government, and BMA members there are currently voting on whether to accept it.
MORE : Are there any more train strikes planned for June 2023?
MORE : More than 1,000,000 NHS staff will start to get a pay rise from today
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