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Junior doctors in England to strike for four days in April Junior doctors in England to strike for four days in April
(about 2 hours later)
British Medical Association accuses government of ‘dragging its feet’ by not presenting a credible pay offer British Medical Association accuses government of failing to make ‘credible offer’ to resolve pay dispute
Junior doctors in England will strike for four days between 11 and 15 April, the British Medical Association has said. Junior doctors in England are to hold a new round of strikes after talks with the government failed to resolve a bitter row over pay.
Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: “It is with disappointment and great frustration that we must announce this new industrial action. The British Medical Association (BMA) said a 96-hour stoppage would take place for shifts starting between 6.59am on Tuesday 11 April and 6.59am on Saturday 15 April.
The BMA said the health secretary, Steve Barclay, had failed to make any “credible offer”, and it accused the government of not being serious about resolving the dispute.
Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA’s junior doctors’ committee, said: “It is with disappointment and great frustration that we must announce this new industrial action.
“The government has dragged its feet at every opportunity. It has not presented any credible offer and is refusing to accept that there is any case for pay restoration, describing our central ask as ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unreasonable’. Even yesterday they continued to add new unacceptable preconditions to talks instead of getting on and trying to find a resolution.“The government has dragged its feet at every opportunity. It has not presented any credible offer and is refusing to accept that there is any case for pay restoration, describing our central ask as ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unreasonable’. Even yesterday they continued to add new unacceptable preconditions to talks instead of getting on and trying to find a resolution.
“We therefore have no confidence that without further action these negotiations can be successful. “We therefore have no confidence that without further action these negotiations can be successful. This situation is entirely of the government’s own making.
“This situation is entirely of the government’s own making. We want to spend our time looking after patients, not on strike. But with an NHS buckling under a workforce crisis, and four in 10 junior doctors looking to leave, we can’t stand by while our pay is further eroded by inflation and an intransigent government. “We want to spend our time looking after patients, not on strike, but with an NHS buckling under a workforce crisis, and four in 10 junior doctors looking to leave, we can’t stand by while our pay is further eroded by inflation and an intransigent government.
“We are not going to stop until we are paid what we are worth, and if ministers don’t accept that when we tell them in person, we will have to tell them from the picket line.”
Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents trusts in England, said: “The prospect of a 96-hour strike by junior doctors will ring alarm bells for trust leaders up and down the country.
“It would immediately follow a four-day bank holiday weekend, meaning demand will have piled up before the strike even begins on 11 April. There will also be no exemptions.
“This threatens the biggest disruption from NHS walkouts so far. There should be no doubt about the scale of the impact on patients, staff and the NHS. No one wants this.
“It’s hugely disappointing that talks between the government and the doctors’ unions have broken down.”
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“We are not going to stop until we are paid what we are worth, and if ministers don’t accept that when we tell them in person, we will have to tell them from the picket line.” Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “This hugely disappointing news will be a blow to leaders’ efforts to tackle the backlog, and further industrial action will have a significant impact on patient care.
“Leaders will have been hoping for progress and an outcome similar to negotiations with the agenda for change unions, so news of another, longer walkout is a huge setback for plans. Sadly, it is inevitable that this will impact on patient safety and dignity.”Junior doctors in the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) will strike on the same days. The union, which represents about 600 junior doctors, accused the government of refusing to drop preconditions for talks to resolve the dispute.
Dr Naru Narayanan, the HCSA president, said: “HCSA wrote to Steve Barclay last week warning that his preconditions presented an impassable barrier to us getting round the table to find a resolution.
“It is hugely disappointing that the government has seen fit to ignore the overwhelming support among junior doctors for this dispute driven by year after year of real-terms pay cuts.“To resolve this dispute the government must drop the theatrics, engage sincerely and recognise the long-term danger to the NHS and health services if we do not retain the doctors we need.”