Junior doctors’ strike to proceed after failed pay talks

A PLANNED five-day strike by junior doctors in England will go ahead as scheduled this week after pay negotiations with the government failed, their union said on Tuesday.

The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents the doctors, said discussions with health aecretary Wes Streeting had not made progress on issues related to pay and working conditions.

Junior doctors had voted for strike action following the government’s decision to award them a 5.4 per cent pay rise. The BMA has said this is far below the 29 per cent increase needed to restore real-term pay to 2008 levels.

The strike is set to begin at 0600 GMT on Friday.

In a statement, the BMA said recent talks with Streeting and other government officials had not produced a breakthrough.

“What we have seen so far is a series of 'no’s – no to movement on pay, no to student loan forgiveness, no to any credible move forwards," said BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt.

"What we need to see are some ways forward, some kind of positive approach to get us out of this dispute."

Streeting said the industrial action would impact patient services and add pressure on the National Health Service.

"The BMA would have lost nothing by taking up the offer to postpone strike action to negotiate a package that would improve the working lives of resident doctors," he said in an emailed statement.

Ryan and Nieuwoudt said they were open to talks, but added: "We don’t accept we can’t talk about pay."

(With inputs from agencies)