Young doctors stage their longest strike so far in July

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1 hour ago

Image source, ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Junior doctors in England announced a new five-day strike in July – their longest yet – for a pay rise.

The strike will take place between 07:00 on Thursday 13 July and 07:00 on Tuesday 18 July.

The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents doctors, said the government’s offer of a 5% increase was not “credible” and that salary had not kept pace with inflation.

The government says the wage offer is “fair and reasonable”.

The Bahrain Monetary Agency requested a 35% increase to offset 15 years of increases under inflation.

This will be the fourth strike by junior doctors since the dispute over wages began.

Thousands of planned appointments will need to be delayed while more senior physicians fill in to provide emergency care.

BMA Junior Doctors Committee co-chairs Dr Robert Lawrenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: “We announce the longest single withdrawal by doctors in NHS history – but this is not a record that needs to go into the history books.

“So far the government can avert our move by coming to the negotiating table with a credible offer on wage recovery.”

Junior doctors make up about half of all hospital doctors in England and a quarter of the doctors working in GP surgeries. The BMA represents more than 46,000 junior doctors in the UK.

In Scotland, junior doctors have been offered a new pay rise of 14.5% over two years after negotiations with the Scottish government.

The BMA in Scotland said it would now consult its members, who voted to strike earlier this month, about the offer.

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