Bma Strikes: Resident Doctors Announce 16th Walkout in June
Resident doctors in England have announced fresh bma strikes, setting a four-day walkout from Monday 15 to Friday 19 June. The action will be the 16th strike in the long-running pay dispute and comes after talks with new Health Secretary James Murray.
Dr Jack Fletcher said the British Medical Association had met the same resistance after Murray replaced Wes Streeting earlier this month. Resident doctors last walked out for six days in April, and the June action extends a dispute in which the BMA says pay still lags behind inflation-adjusted 2008 levels.
Jack Fletcher and James Murray
Fletcher said: "We had hoped that a change in leadership at the Department of Health and Social Care would lead to a change in approach." He added: "Sadly, we have run up against the same unwillingness to move we encountered under Mr Streeting."
He also said: "We were prepared to give Mr Murray time to settle into his role before completing the work his predecessor left unfinished. He had a genuine opportunity to break this logjam with fresh energy and ambition." Fletcher said: "He has not taken it. Instead, we are hearing the same tired line - vagueness on new jobs and no further money on the table."
March Deal And April Walkout
The announcement follows a meeting on Wednesday between the BMA and Murray. In March, ministers offered the BMA a deal that included more training jobs, faster career progression and covering out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees.
Resident doctors have already received pay rises worth 33% over the past four years, including a 3.5% increase this year. Starting salaries are just over £40,000, while the most senior doctors get £76,500 in basic pay, with extra earnings available for unsocial hours and additional shifts.
The BMA says doctors are still paid a fifth less than they were in 2008 once inflation is taken into account. Murray said: "I'm disappointed that the BMA have refused to consider further discussions about how to strengthen the deal on the table and have instead rushed once again to unnecessary and unreasonable strike action."
He also said: "I was clear with the BMA that after a 33.4% pay rise for resident doctors over the last four years – the highest anywhere across the public sector - the BMA's demands for further substantial pay increases this year are unrealistic, unaffordable and unsustainable."
June 15 To 19
The four-day walkout runs from Monday 15 to Friday 19 June, placing resident doctors back on strike after the April action. For patients and services, the immediate change is a longer disruption window than a single-day stoppage, with the dispute now moving into its 16th round of industrial action.
