Junior docs’ union broadcasts new three-day strike in June

The union representing junior docs has introduced a recent 72-hour walkout in response to what they name the federal government’s “paltry” 5% pay provide.

The British Medical Association (BMA) mentioned they are going to strike in England from 14-17 June in a bid to drive ministers “to put forward a credible” wage rise.

They warned that if the federal government “doesn’t change their position, we will strike throughout the summer”.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care mentioned it’s “both surprising and deeply disappointing” that additional motion has been declared “while constructive talks were ongoing”.

But the BMA mentioned talks “have now reached a stage where they are currently unproductive”.

Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, mentioned: “Accordingly, we are in a position where we must call new industrial action.

“We are at this time asserting that junior docs in England will maintain one other 72-hour full walkout between 0700 on Wednesday 14 June and 0700 on Saturday 17 June.

“And if the government doesn’t change their position, we will strike throughout the summer. This means we will call a minimum of three days of action every month for the duration of our mandate for industrial action.”

The BMA say they’ve had a 26% real-terms wage reduce over the previous 15 years and “deserve full pay restoration now”.

They desire a pay rise of 35% to “stop the haemorrhaging of junior doctors from the NHS”, saying 4 in 10 wish to depart the well being service because it “staggers under a workforce crisis”.

In their assertion asserting the brand new strike dates, the BMA accused the federal government of failing to recognise “the scale of our pay erosion” and mentioned “this was made clear when they finally made their pay offer of 5%”.

They known as this “simply not credible” as it will not match the dimensions of inflation this 12 months, not to mention pay erosion, and known as on ministers to “get serious”.

BMA calls for ‘unaffordable’

However, the federal government accused the BMA of being “unwilling” to budge on their “unaffordable headline demands”.

A spokesperson mentioned: “We made a fair and reasonable opening offer, and were in active discussions about both pay and non-pay issues.

“Unfortunately, it appears the BMA is unwilling to maneuver meaningfully away from their unaffordable headline calls for on pay.

“The government has been clear that strikes must be paused while talks take place, so while the BMA has chosen to end our current discussions, we remain ready to continue them at any point if strikes are called off.”

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The BMA mentioned it’s nonetheless prepared to satisfy Steve Barclay, the well being secretary, on Wednesday for scheduled talks.

It is known different measures being mentioned embody compensating junior docs for out-of-pocket bills such because the examination charges they face as a part of their coaching.

The June walkouts come after a four-day strike by junior docs in England in April which led to nearly 200,000 appointments and operations being cancelled.

Junior docs additionally walked out for 72 hours from 13-15 March, when about 175,000 appointments and operations have been postponed.