Resident Physicians in the UK to Stage Five-Day Strike Next Month
Doctors in the UK are preparing to stage a five consecutive day strike in November, in protest over pay and employment.
Walkout Information
The BMA announced that resident doctors will strike for five consecutive days from 7am on 14 November to November 19 at 7am.
Resident doctors, who make up nearly 50% of all medical staff in the NHS, are proceeding with the strike after failed negotiations with the health department.
Causes of the Walkout
The chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee commented, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have been negotiating for the past week with officials, pressing the health secretary to end the scandal of doctors going unemployed.”
“We know from our own survey half of second-year doctors in the UK are facing unemployment, their talents being unused whilst millions of patients endure long waits for care and hospital shifts remain vacant. This is a situation which cannot go on.”
He continued, “We negotiated sincerely, keen for the minister to see that a agreement including options to gradually reverse the pay reductions over several years, providing recent graduates a raise of just a pound an hour for the coming four years.”
“We trusted the authorities would recognize that our asks are not just fair but are in the interest of the public and our those we treat and would also help stop our physicians leaving the health service.”
Who Are Resident Physicians?
Resident doctors have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.
More details will follow shortly.
