NHS junior doctors in England have commenced the first of three strike action days today (13 March) over a pay restoration dispute.
A total of 98.06% of junior doctors who participated in the ballot voted to strike, with around 36,218 British Medical Association (BMA) members set to not attend any shifts starting after 6.59am today until 7am on 16 March.
Their demands include restoration of pay to levels seen in 2008-9, the installation of a mechanism with the government to prevent future declines against the cost of living and inflation, and a reform of the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body process, so pay increases can be recommended independently to safeguard junior doctors’ recruitment and retention.
A BMA spokesperson said: “A crippling cost-of-living crisis, burnout and well below inflation pay rises risk driving hard-working doctors out of their profession at a time when we need them more than ever. To protect the NHS, the government must engage and address doctors’ concerns. But so far, they have refused to meet with us. This has left doctors with no other option but to vote on whether to take industrial action. If junior doctors are forced out of the NHS because of poor pay and conditions, the services we all rely on to look after our loved ones will suffer.
Tom Black, chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland Council, added: “Doctors across Northern Ireland offer our support and solidarity to junior doctors in England. Such an overwhelming majority vote in favour of taking this action shows they felt they had no other option. We are monitoring the situation closely as to whether to ballot for industrial action.”
Dr Chris Smith, chair of the Scottish Junior Doctors Committee, said: “The fight for full pay restoration unites us, from the highlands of Scotland to the south coast of England. In Scotland, our ballot of junior doctors on strike action opens on 29 March. This means the Scottish government has a precious window of opportunity to prevent junior doctors being forced to follow English colleagues onto the picket line.”