Junior doctors in England will take part in a 72-hour strike over pay after voting in favour of industrial action, the British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed.
Members of the BMA are asking for a 26% pay rise in what they say is a fight to make up for pay cuts since 2008, taking inflation into account. More than three-quarters of those balloted voted, with 98% of those voting in favour of strike action. They join paramedics and nurses, who are currently undergoing periods of strike action, also in a fight for pay increases.
The walkout is set to take place next month, with more than 47,600 junior doctors in England eligible to vote in the BMA’s ballot.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said it was “deeply disappointing” that junior doctors in England had voted for strike action. But the BMA has hit out at Mr Barclay for failing to take part in meaningful negotiations on wages.
BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: “The Government has only itself to blame, standing by in silent indifference as our members are forced to take this difficult decision.”
This year, junior doctors saw a 2% pay increase, which forms part of a four-year agreement that saw an overall rise of 8.2% between 2019-20 to 2022-23. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care told the BBC the health secretary had met with the BMA to discuss pay and conditions, with the pay award for the 2023-24 financial year is expected to be announced in the coming months.
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