bloomshorts UK Doctors Strike Over Pay Dispute
Thousands of UK doctors have begun a five-day strike early Friday after negotiations with the Labour government for a new pay increase failed to reach an agreement. The strike action comes despite a recent pay rise offer of 22.3 percent over two years accepted by the doctors in September.
Government Appeals to Doctors
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made a public appeal to the striking doctors, emphasizing the potential risks to patients and the additional strain on the National Health Service (NHS). Starmer warned that the strikes would ’cause real damage’ and urged the doctors not to follow their union, the British Medical Association (BMA), down this ‘damaging road’.
Doctors’ Stand on Pay Erosion
The resident doctors argue that their pay has eroded by more than 21 percent in real terms over the past two decades, a situation they describe as unacceptable. The BMA’s resident doctors committee co-chairs, Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt, stated, ‘We’re not working 21 percent less hard so why should our pay suffer?’
Previous Strikes and Government Stance
Last year’s strikes by doctors led to the cancellation of tens of thousands of appointments and delayed treatments, amid a series of public and private sector walk-outs over pay and conditions. The government, however, maintains that it ‘cannot afford to go further on pay this year,’ as stated by Health minister Wes Streeting.
