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Medical professionals in the UK are preparing to stage a five consecutive day walkout next month, due to disputes regarding jobs and pay.

Strike Details

The British Medical Association (BMA) announced that resident doctors will strike for five days in a row from 7am on 14 November to 7am on 19 November.

Junior physicians, who constitute about half of all doctors in the NHS, are proceeding with the strike after failed negotiations with the government.

Causes of the Walkout

Dr Jack Fletcher commented, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have been negotiating for the past week with government, urging the health secretary to resolve the crisis of doctors going unemployed.”

“We know from our own survey 50% of second-year physicians in the UK are facing unemployment, their skills going to waste whilst countless individuals endure long waits for care and hospital shifts remain vacant. This cannot continue.”

He continued, “We talked with the government in good faith, keen for the minister to see that a deal offering solutions to slowly restore the pay reductions over a number of years, providing newly trained doctors a pay increase of just a pound an hour for the coming four years.”

“We trusted the authorities would see that our asks are not just reasonable but are in the interest of the community and our those we treat and would also help prevent our physicians leaving the health service.”

Who Are Resident Physicians?

Junior physicians have as much as eight years of experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.

Further information are expected soon.