Resident doctors to strike for 16th time over pay
Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNick TriggleHealth correspondent
Getty ImagesResident doctors in England are to stage a fresh round of strikes in June.
The four-day walkout from Monday 15 to Friday 19 June will be the 16th of the long-running dispute over pay.
The announcement came after a meeting on Wednesday between the British Medical Association and new Health Secretary James Murray, who replaced Wes Streeting earlier this month.
BMA members last took part in strike action in April when resident doctors, the new name for junior doctors, staged a six-day walkout.
Resident doctors have received pay rises worth 33% over the past four years, including a 3.5% increase this year.
It means starting salaries are now just over £40,000, with the most senior doctors getting £76,500 in basic pay.
Resident doctors can earn thousands more each year for things like working at unsocial times and doing additional hours.
But the BMA argues they are still being paid a fifth less than they were in 2008 once inflation is taken into account.
BMA resident doctor leader Dr Jack Fletcher said: “We had hoped that a change in leadership at the Department of Health and Social Care would lead to a change in approach.
“Sadly, we have run up against the same unwillingness to move we encountered under Mr Streeting.
“We were prepared to give Mr Murray time to settle into his role before completing the work his predecessor left unfinished. He had a genuine opportunity to break this logjam with fresh energy and ambition.
“He has not taken it. Instead, we are hearing the same tired line – vagueness on new jobs and no further money on the table.
“We cannot be asked to negotiate in good faith for weeks, only to be told there is nothing left to negotiate about on pay and no further details at this stage on jobs.”
In March ministers offered the BMA a deal which included more training jobs, faster career progression and covering out-of-pocket expenses like exam fees.
Murray said: “I’m disappointed that the BMA have refused to consider further discussions about how to strengthen the deal on the table and have instead rushed once again to unnecessary and unreasonable strike action.
“I was clear with the BMA that after a 33.4% pay rise for resident doctors over the last four years – the highest anywhere across the public sector – the BMA’s demands for further substantial pay increases this year are unrealistic, unaffordable and unsustainable.”