Thousands of resident doctors in England have begun a five-day strike, demanding higher pay and increased training opportunities, in the 13th walkout since March 2023.
Thousands of doctors in England began a five-day strike on Friday over pay and training posts, marking the 13th walkout by medical professionals since March 2023, according to PUNCH. The action, which started at 0700 GMT, involves resident doctors those below consultant level who make up roughly half of hospital medical staff.
The strike drew strong criticism from the Labour government’s health minister, Wes Streeting, who accused the BMA leadership of “choosing confrontation over care.” Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Streeting added, “This strike isn’t about fairness anymore. It’s about political posturing.” He further noted that the government cannot move on pay “especially not after a 28.9 per cent pay rise over the last three years and the highest pay award across the entire public sector in the last two.”
The BMA argues that doctors require a 26 per cent pay increase to restore earnings to their real value from two decades ago. The union is also calling for more training posts, highlighting that over 30,000 doctors are competing for just 10,000 positions needed to progress toward becoming consultants.
The shortage of posts leaves many doctors without permanent roles despite years of training. The strike occurs amid a broader UK cost-of-living crisis that has prompted walkouts by teachers, nurses, ambulance workers, lawyers, train staff, and border officials over the past three-and-a-half years.