Resident doctors to walk out yet again in fresh strikes next month
The British Medical Association has confirmed junior doctors will go on strike for four days in June as part of their long-running dispute with the government over pay.
The BMA has rejected the government’s latest pay offer and will strike from 15-19 June.
The union also said there could be further strikes in July.
It was stated that the new health minister, James Murray, did not improve the government’s previous offer.
The announcement came after Mr Murray met union representatives for the first time in the hope of ending the long-running dispute with junior doctors in England.
Mr Murray has previously said he wants to “reassure unions” and will do whatever he can to improve career prospects and ensure NHS staff are paid fairly.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the junior doctors’ committee, said: “We had hoped that a change of leadership at the Department of Health and Social Care would lead to a change in approach. Unfortunately, we have encountered the same reluctance to act that we have encountered at this time.” [previous health secretary Wes] On the street.
“We were prepared to give Mr Murray time to settle into his role before completing the work left unfinished by his predecessor, both by offering fair and meaningful pay and making concrete commitments to end the jobs bottleneck that is curtailing the careers of our colleagues. “He had a real opportunity to break this impasse with fresh energy and ambition.
“He didn’t agree to that. Instead, we hear the same tired line: Uncertainty about new jobs and no more money on the table. We can’t be asked to negotiate in good faith for weeks, we’re just told there’s nothing left to negotiate on pay and there are no further details about jobs at this stage.”
“Thousands of doctors continue to leave the NHS, and take-home pay is a fifth lower in real terms than in 2008. If Mr Murray is to succeed in his new role, he must confront this issue first and foremost.
“We are prepared to accept that he may have inherited plans already in place when he took office. If so, he now has a new opportunity to demonstrate real leadership and prevent further strike action. Our demand is clear: a credible, meaningful offer that includes real progress towards the restoration of concrete new jobs and wages.”
“Mr Murray comes to this post directly from the Treasury; his remit was to weigh the costs and benefits of public spending. We would expect him, of all people, to understand that the costs of prolonged, avoidable strike action would far outweigh a deal that secures the future of the NHS workforce. The calculation is not difficult.”
Before the April strike, Mr Streeting had proposed a 4.9 per cent increase in average basic pay from 2026 to 2027; He claimed this would leave junior doctors 35.2 per cent better off than they were four years ago.
His bid also included an offer of 1,000 extra training places, but this was taken off the table due to increased strike costs to the NHS.
Mr Murray said on Wednesday: “I met with officers of the BMA resident doctors committee today in the hope of starting a productive relationship and making progress on a deal that will improve the pay, career prospects and working lives of its members.
“I am disappointed that the BMA has refused to table further discussions on how to strengthen the agreement and has instead turned once again to unnecessary and unreasonable strike action.
“I have been clear to the BMA that after pay rises of 33.4 per cent for junior doctors over the last four years – the highest across the public sector – the BMA’s demand for further significant pay rises this year is unrealistic, unaffordable and unsustainable.
“These are not grounds for further strike action that patients do not support, which puts further pressure on other staff and costs the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds.
“A record number of doctors are working in the NHS this year. Waiting lists have decreased and patient satisfaction has increased. I call on the BMA to step back from more damaging strikes and work in partnership with the government for the benefit of its members and the NHS.”
