The British Medical Association has announced a four-day strike by resident doctors in June, following a meeting with new health secretary James Murray that ended in deadlock. The union is demanding a 24 per cent pay rise, in addition to the 33.4 per cent they have received over the past four years. Health leaders have condemned the industrial action as 'rash and wholly irresponsible', warning it will 'leave patients paying the price'.
Resident doctors in the UK will go on strike for four days in June after a meeting with new health secretary James Murray ended in deadlock.
The British Medical Association (BMA) announced the fresh walkout just an hour after introductory talks concluded, with the union blaming Mr Murray's 'unwillingness to move' on their demands for a pay rise of 24 per cent in addition to the 33.4 per cent they have received over the past four years. The strike will begin at 7am on Monday, June 15, and end at 6.59am on Friday, June 19, marking the 16th strike by the group since 2023.
The BMA has warned that further strikes will be announced for July if no progress is made. In March, the union rejected an offer worth an average 4.9 per cent, which would have seen some doctors earning over £100,000 before they even qualify as a consultant. Health leaders have condemned the industrial action as 'rash and wholly irresponsible', warning it will 'leave patients paying the price'.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors' committee, said he had hoped Mr Murray would deliver a better offer than his predecessor Wes Streeting, who quit earlier this month to challenge for the Labour leadership. Mr Murray met representatives of the BMA today, but said the union's demands for further pay increases are 'unrealistic, unaffordable, and unsustainable'.
A source close to Mr Murray told the Daily Mail that the Health Secretary went into the meeting in good faith, wanting to begin a productive relationship with the resident doctors committee. However, the committee had already decided on industrial action before the meeting, and had lined up media interviews in advance to publicise it.
The Secretary of State was clear that he is willing to strengthen various aspects of the deal, but that there can be no further movement on pay given resident doctors have seen a 33.4 per cent uplift in the last four years. The BMA's approach is 'disappointing in the extreme', according to the source, who added that the public do not support these strikes and it will cost the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds to mitigate their effects.
The last round of action by resident doctors lasted for six days over the Easter holiday, and the cumulative cost of the walkouts is estimated to have topped £3 billion, with 1.5 million appointments cancelled. Dr Fletcher said that the union had hoped a change in leadership at the Department of Health and Social Care would lead to a change in approach, but sadly, they have run up against the same unwillingness to move they encountered under Mr Streeting.
The union is prepared to accept that Mr Murray may have inherited plans already in motion when he took office, but he must confront the issue of low take-home pay before any other. Thousands of doctors continue to leave the NHS, and take-home pay remains a fifth lower in real terms than it was in 2008. The union is also balloting consultants and specialist, associate specialist and specialty (SAS) doctors, in a vote to close on July 6
Resident Doctors Strike Pay Demands James Murray British Medical Association Health Secretary NHS Industrial Action
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