Junior doctors could go on strike in latest vote on industrial action
Hospitals are facing more disruption, with nurses strikes looming later this month
Last updated 6th Jan 2023
Junior doctors in England could be the latest to go on strike if they vote in favour of industrial action, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced.
The Government has been told it could begin with a 72-hour "full walkout" in March, with the ballot beginning across England on Monday.
The BMA has urged the Health Secretary to meet with doctors and negotiate a solutino to avoid strikes.
It said Steve Barclay was the first Health Secretary for over 50 years to continue to "ignore" all invitations from the BMA to meet with doctors to discuss their pay, making attempts to find a negotiated settlement "virtually impossible".
The BMA said successive governments have overseen 15 years of real terms pay cuts for junior doctors in England, which amounts to a "staggering and unjustifiable" 26.1% decline in pay since 2008/09.
The BMA said patients were suffering and exhausted staff were burning out and leaving the NHS and yet the Government "fails to see the crisis in front of it".
Ministers were accused of ignoring all the evidence to the contrary and preferring to treat the public as "fools" with assurances that the NHS has all the resources it needs.
The Government's door was "firmly shut to dialogue", let alone negotiations, so there was no other option left than to ballot junior doctors in England for strike action, said the BMA.
The ballot will open ahead of fresh strikes in the coming weeks by ambulance staff and nurses over pay and staffing.
Miriam Deakin, director of policy at NHS Providers said: "The announcement by the BMA that junior doctors could begin their action with a 72-hour full walkout in March, with no emergency cover if a ballot is successful, is deeply worrying.
"However, the ballot for industrial action by junior doctors is yet to open and it's important not to pre-empt the outcome.
"Should junior doctors vote for industrial action, trust leaders will do everything they can to minimise disruption and prioritise the safe delivery of care and services for patients.