Resident doctors in England will go on strike for five days before Christmas as part of a dispute with the government over jobs and pay.
The doctors, formerly called junior doctors, will take action from 7am on 17 December until 7am on 22 December. It follows similar strike action between 14 November and 19 November.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said: “With the government failing to put forward a credible plan to fix the jobs crisis for resident doctors at the same time as pushing a real-terms pay cut for them, we have no choice but to announce more strike dates.
“However, these do not need to go ahead. Gradually raising pay over a few years and some common sense fixes to the job security of our doctors are well within the reach of this government. It would ensure both the long-term strength of our healthcare workforce and spare the country the indignity of see unemployed doctors at a time patients are queueing up to even see a GP.
“This month we’ve seen the full farcical extent of the jobs crisis, with second-year doctors applying for training posts being asked to provide evidence of experience well beyond what would have previously been asked of them. It is precisely this sort of situation which is driving doctors away from jobs and to the picket line. But it is not too late for government to get a grip on the situation.”
More details soon …
