Junior doctors in England begin a five-day strike, their 14th walkout in three years, as pay talks with the government remain deadlocked.
LONDON: Junior doctors in England began a five-day strike on Wednesday, marking their 14th walkout in less than three years in an ongoing pay dispute with the government.
The industrial action by resident doctors comes as negotiations have reached a deadlock over their demand for a 26% pay rise to compensate for inflation-linked real-terms pay cuts.
This demand is on top of a 28.9% increase already secured over three years following previous strikes.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called the latest action “irresponsible” as the NHS grapples with a “super flu” outbreak.
Health minister Wes Streeting said the government could not meet the British Medical Association’s demands in the current economic climate.
He cited pressures on public spending from national defence to crumbling infrastructure as the context for the pay offer.
Streeting has, however, agreed to a union demand that UK-trained medics get priority for training posts over overseas candidates.
Picketing doctors outside St Thomas’ Hospital in London accused the government of trying to demonise them.
“They’re calling us things like ‘moaning minnies’, ‘juvenile delinquents’,” said junior doctor Laura Harmer.
Doctor Shivam Sharma, 25, highlighted chronic staff shortages within the health service.
“We know that we’re about 40,000 doctors short compared to the EU average,” he said.
