Resident Doctors in England to Begin Five-Day Strike in November

Doctors in the UK are preparing to stage a five-day strike in November, in protest over jobs and pay.

Strike Details

The BMA announced that junior physicians will strike for five days in a row from 7am on 14 November to 7am on 19 November.

Junior physicians, who make up nearly 50% of all medical staff in the National Health Service, are taking this action after unsuccessful talks with the government.

Causes of the Walkout

Dr Jack Fletcher commented, “We did not want to reach this point. We have been negotiating for the past week with government, urging the health secretary to resolve the crisis of unemployed physicians.”

“Our survey reveals half of second-year doctors in England are facing unemployment, their talents being unused whilst countless individuals endure long waits for care and shifts in hospitals remain vacant. This is a situation which cannot go on.”

He continued, “We talked with the government in good faith, keen for the minister to understand that a agreement offering solutions to gradually reverse the cuts to pay over several years, giving newly trained doctors a pay increase of only £1 per hour for the next four years.”

“We hoped the authorities would recognize that our asks are not just fair but are in the best interests of the community and our those we treat and would also help stop our doctors leaving the NHS.”

Who Are Resident Physicians?

Resident doctors have as much as eight years of experience working as a hospital doctor, based on their field, or as many as three years in primary care.

Further information are expected shortly.