Junior Doctors in England to Strike for Three Days Over 26% Pay Cut
The BMA has slammed Health Secretary Steve Barclay’s silence as junior doctors in England prepare for a three-day strike from Monday 13th March. The move comes after pay cuts totalling over 26% left medics with no choice but to walk out.
Thousands Back Strike After Failed Talks
Nearly 40,000 junior doctors voted in favour of industrial action in a recent ballot. Hospital trusts and employers have now been officially told the 72-hour strike will go ahead.
Health Secretary Snubs Medics as Crisis Deepens
Despite urgent calls from junior doctors to meet, Steve Barclay has so far refused to set a date. A meeting with Department of Health civil servants this week made no progress, with Steve Barclay absent.
“Make no mistake, this strike was absolutely in the Government’s gift to avert; they know it, we know it and our patients also need to know it,” said Dr Rob Laurenson, co-chair of the BMA junior doctors’ committee.
“Since last summer, we have tried every Health Secretary to get to the negotiating table. We even hoped Steve Barclay would meet us yesterday to find a solution. But no talks have been offered, and we don’t even know what it will take for the Government to start negotiations.”
“Junior doctors across England are demoralised, angry and refuse to work for a real-terms wage cut of over 26% in 15 years. On top of NHS crisis stress and exhaustion, this has forced us to take a 72-hour walkout.”
“How can the Health Secretary keep ignoring us, hoping this storm will blow over? It won’t. Patients and the public will suffer until he finally negotiates a deal that truly values junior doctors.”
