NHS junior doctors go on strike for three days in June

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NHS junior doctors in England have announced a new three-day strike next month and have threatened to strike throughout the summer after talks with the government stalled over a long-running pay dispute.

Dr. Vivek Trivedi and Dr. Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, said they would call a minimum of three days of action each month for the duration of their strike mandate, unless the government changed its stance. The escalation came after ministers offered a 5% pay rise which the BMA dismissed as “simply an uncredible offer”.

Suggesting that four in 10 junior doctors were now looking to leave the NHS amid a workforce crisis, the youth leaders added: ‘This is not the time for government to play for pay.’

From four-day strike in April, the BMA held three weeks of talks with the government. Young doctors are pressing for a “reset pay” deal, claiming they have suffered a decline in real terms of more than 26% over the past 15 years.

Not only did the raise the government had offered “come nowhere near tackling wage erosion,” but it wouldn’t even match inflation this year, they said. “We don’t go to these meetings to agree on a further pay cut, and the government knows it. This was simply not a credible offer,” the medical leaders added.

The last action will take place between 7am June 14th and 7am June 17th.

The government said it was “surprising and deeply disappointing” that the junior doctors’ committee declared further strike action as “constructive” talks continued. The latest action would be “extremely disruptive for patients and put pressure on other NHS staff,” he said.

Suggesting that ministers had made “a fair and reasonable opening offer, and were actively discussing pay and non-pay issues”, he accused the BMA of “unwilling to deviate significantly from their untenable core pay demands” .

The government has been clear that strikes must be suspended while talks take place, “so while the BMA has chosen to end our ongoing discussions, we stand ready to continue them at any time if the strikes are called off,” he said. added.

Trivedi and Laurenson said they were willing to continue talking and expect to meet Steve Barclay, the health secretary, on Wednesday as scheduled “where we hope he brings a credible offer.”

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents healthcare organizations across the country, said the “deeply worrying prospect” of another 72-hour strike by young doctors “would lead to major disruptions in patient care “.

Industrial action across the NHS since December has led to the cancellation of at least 300,000 operations and appointments.

The NHS Staff Council, which represents 14 healthcare unions, earlier this month accepted an offer of a 5% pay rise for 2023-24, as well as two unconsolidated payments for 2022-23 for staff in England covered by the so-called Agenda for the amendment pay framework.

However, the Royal College of Nursing has voted to reject the deal and is voting off its membership as it seeks another six-month strike term.

NHS consultants – the NHS’ most senior doctors – and radiographers are also being voted on to decide whether they will leave in support of their own pay claims.

Cordery added: “It is vital that serious talks take place between the government and the unions to resolve these ongoing disputes and avoid further disruption to NHS services.”