For the 15th time in just three years, doctors in England on Tuesday staged a walkout in an increasingly bitter dispute with the government over pay and jobs.
Six-Day Strike by Resident Doctors
The six-day strike by resident doctors, those below consultant level, comes after the doctors secured a 28.9 percent increase over three years following previous strikes.
Deadlock Over Pay Demands
The government and the resident doctors are deadlocked over a fresh demand for a further big pay increase, to serve as compensation for what the doctors say is a real-time loss of earnings due to inflation.
Health Minister’s Response
Health Minister Wes Streeting condemned the decision by the doctors’ union to reject the government’s latest offer of 4.9 percent amid an ongoing cost of living crisis.
Streeting told BBC television that the doctors had been the “standout winners of the entire public sector workforce when it comes to pay rises.”
He accused the union of rushing to strike action despite the earlier “whopping” pay rise, adding that the strike would cost the state-funded National Health Service £300 million ($3.9 million).
BMA’s Demand
AFP quoted the British Medical Association (BMA), which represents the doctors, as demanding full pay restoration to 2008 levels.
Government’s Position
The UK government has repeatedly said that in the current economic environment, it is impossible to meet their demands.
Concession on Training Posts
Streeting has already agreed to the doctors’ union’s demand that UK-trained medics get priority for training posts over candidates from foreign nations.
