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Junior doctors throughout England are embarking on the longest strike in the history of the NHS, initiating a 144-hour action starting at 7 am today and concluding at the same time on Tuesday, January 9. This move comes amid heightened pressure on the health service during a critical period dealing with increased cases of winter viruses.
The breakdown in talks which led to the strikes came after five weeks of negotiations during which industrial action had been suspended. The BMA wants a 35% pay uplift, to make up for what it says have been below-inflation rises since 2008. This is described as “pay restoration” by unions.
Despite calls from the Department of Health and Social Care for the British Medical Association (BMA) to cease their strikes and resume negotiations, BMA junior doctors’ committee co-chairs, Dr. Rob Laurenson and Dr. Vivek Trivedi, insist that the government had the opportunity to present a credible offer, even at this late stage.
The BMA asserts that junior doctors’ pay has faced a reduction of over a quarter since 2008. While the government granted an average increase of 8.8% to junior doctors in England over the summer and a further 3% average rise, professionals argue that the raise is insufficient. They demand a pathway to full pay restoration to counter the significant decline in pay since 2008-09.
Junior doctors from the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association union are also set to join their colleagues on picket lines. Dr. Laurenson and Dr. Trivedi express disappointment in not receiving the promised “final offer” from the Health Secretary during the holiday period, reiterating their willingness to engage in talks if a credible offer is presented.
Dr. Trevedi said the government’s offer to junior doctors – an average 3% rise on top of the 8% already imposed on them – was nowhere near enough.
Asked whether he believed junior doctors still had public support for their action, he told PA Media: “I think the public know the only way to have a healthcare system that looks after them is to have enough doctors. And they can completely appreciate when doctors graduate and they’re starting on £15.50 an hour – after the government’s latest pay uplift – and go to a maximum of £30 an hour after 10 years of working, that’s just not enough.”
The offer of a 3% average increase would mean doctors paid £15.50 an hour would only see that increase to £16. It was “not unreasonable” for doctors to want to be paid £21 an hour, Dr. Trevedi said.
He added: “While strike action is disruptive, the public are still very much aware that the government needs to get real and meet us at the table and put an offer that will end this dispute.
“That’s the only way this dispute will end: an offer that’s acceptable to our doctors which will work towards building back the value to a doctor’s life, and be able to then retain those doctors who are otherwise fleeing to places like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland. We need to do better.”
NHS Providers warns that this “unprecedented” action will result in care delays for thousands of patients and calls for a prompt resolution to prevent the escalation of the dispute, potentially leading to additional health workers participating in strikes. The NHS anticipates that the strike could involve up to half of the doctors in England, posing a significant challenge at the beginning of the year.
Various campaign groups support the union action, emphasizing the need for the government to address patient safety concerns by returning to the negotiating table. Pat Harrington, General Secretary of Solidarity union commented: “We back the Junior doctors 100 percent. They need pay restoration and they have no option but to strike if the government refuses to talk realistically.” Amid these developments, Every Doctor UK chief executive Dr. Julia Grace Patterson stresses that NHS workers are individuals and not the property of the state, challenging the perception that they have committed to a life of servitude without regard for their well-being.
