Rishi Sunak urges junior medical doctors to name off January strikes

Dec 22, 2023 at 6:42 PM
Rishi Sunak urges junior medical doctors to name off January strikes

Rishi Sunak urged junior medical doctors already awarded the most important pay rise of all public sector staff to name off their new yr strikes.

The NHS is dealing with the longest walkout the well being service has ever seen once they perform six days of commercial motion from January 3.

It follows a 72-hour strike that finish at 7am on Saturday of their demand for a 35% wage hike.

Junior medical doctors had been awarded an 8.8% with the latest to the professions given as much as 10.3%.

Mr Sunak mentioned the award was “generous” and better that every one different public sector staff.

He added “Junior doctors are getting a pay rise. They are getting the largest pay rise out of anybody in the public sector.

“The government accepted in full the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies.

“We have now reached agreement with everyone else in the NHS … the only workforce that is refusing to settle is the junior doctors, which is really disappointing, particularly at this time of year when everyone relies so heavily on the NHS.

“We have been consistently constructive and open to talks. I would urge junior doctors to re-engage in those talks and call off strike action.”

Danny Mortimer, chief govt of NHS Employers, which is a part of the NHS Confederation, has written to the British Medical Association (BMA) elevating issues about affected person security forward of the brand new yr strikes.

He warned January “is probably where there is the greatest pressure on services and teams, each and every year”.

Junior medical doctors are presently on their second day of a 72-hour strike and can return to work at Mr Mortimer wrote: “In a system already facing enormous demand, it is the week that most teams dread as it is likely to be the busiest for emergency care.

“Your joint letter with NHS England makes clear that in relation to the December action that the staff recall and derogations process remains largely the same as the previous strikes.

“This arrangement will not be sustainable in January.

“In the previous periods of industrial action taken solely by your junior doctor members, the core duties typically carried out by striking junior doctors have been covered by other medical colleagues and members of the wider team.

“This position will not be tenable in January.”