Resident Physicians in England to Launch Five-Day Strike Next Month
Medical professionals in England are preparing to stage a five consecutive day walkout in November, in protest over pay and employment.
Walkout Information
The BMA stated that junior physicians will walk out for five days in a row from November 14 at 7am to November 19 at 7am.
Resident doctors, who make up about half of all medical staff in the National Health Service, are proceeding with the strike after unsuccessful talks with the government.
Reasons Behind the Strike
The chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee commented, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have spent the last week in talks with government, pressing the health minister to resolve the scandal of doctors going unemployed.”
“We know from our own survey half of second-year doctors in England are struggling to find jobs, their talents being unused whilst countless individuals endure long waits for care and hospital shifts remain vacant. This cannot continue.”
He continued, “We talked with the government in good faith, hoping the health secretary to see that a deal offering solutions to slowly restore the cuts to pay over several years, giving recent graduates a pay increase of only £1 per hour for the coming four years.”
“We trusted the authorities would recognize that our asks are not just reasonable but are in the best interests of the community and our those we treat and would also help stop our doctors departing from the NHS.”
About Resident Doctors
Resident doctors have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in primary care.
Further information are expected shortly.
