Resident doctors in England to strike before Christmas
The British Medical Association (BMA) announced that junior doctors in England will go on strike between 17-22 December.
The five-day strike in the run-up to Christmas came as doctors accused the government of failing to make “sufficient progress towards a workable agreement on jobs and wages”.
In an email to the doctors he saw IndependentBMA said “gave” [health secretary] In a letter dated November 19, Wes Streeting opens a window of opportunity to get back to the table.
The email said: “Today is December 1st. The Secretary of State has not written to us and has instead overseen the movement of thousands of junior doctors away from IMT roles whilst trying to impose real term pay cuts on us in 2026.”
This is the second round of strike action by junior doctors since the election of a leadership lead by North East-based Dr Jack Fletcher at the resident doctors committee (RDC) in September.
Following negotiations with Mr Streeting in October and November, a five-day strike was held from 14 to 19 November.
In its email on Monday, the BMA accused the government of “presiding over another round of disastrous recruitment” and said doctors were “collateral damage despite our warnings and willingness to fix this disaster with an agreement”.
Independent The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.
Dr Fletcher said the union had “no choice but to announce further strike dates” after the government failed to present “a credible plan to resolve the jobs crisis for junior doctors and also implement real pay cuts for them”.
He said strikes “do not need to continue” if wages are gradually increased over the coming years and some “common-sense adjustments” are made by the government to “ensure the long-term strength of our healthcare workforce.”
He said second-year doctors applying for training positions were being asked to provide evidence of experience “far beyond what was previously required of them”.
The strike, which took place last month and followed another round between July 25-30, was the 13th strike since March 2023. It was estimated that the summer strike would cost the health service £300 million.
Last week the BMA announced it would hold a vote on junior doctor members to extend the power to strike action, which is due to expire in January.
If the vote is successful, his term will be extended until August 2026. Voting will run from December 8 to February 2.
