Young doctors in England are set to stage the longest strike in the history of the National Health Service after negotiations between their union and the government collapsed.
Ministers and representatives of the British Medical Association (BMA) have been negotiating for five weeks to find a solution to the pay dispute.
But on Tuesday the BMA said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had failed to make a credible offer to end the strikes that began in March.
The BMA’s fledgling medical committee then decided to go on strike for six days in December and January.
How much do trainee doctors earn?
Junior doctors are qualified doctors who have undergone clinical training.
The BMA explains: “You have completed medical training and, depending on your specialization, may have up to nine years of professional experience as a hospital doctor or up to five years of professional and work experience as a GP.”
Entry-level doctors receive a base salary, plus compensation for any hours over 40 per week, a 37 percent bonus for night work, a weekend bonus for working on weekends, an on-call bonus if you need to be on call, and other possible earnings. .
During basic training, doctors receive a basic salary of between £32,398 and £37,303 (from 1 April 2023).
A doctor starting their specialist training in 2023 will receive a basic salary of between £43,923 and £63,152, while specialists will receive a basic salary of between £52,530 and £82,400.
A specialist doctor earns a basic salary of between £83,945 and £92,275.
What do doctors in training want from strikes?
The BMA says trainee doctors need a 35 per cent pay rise to make up for years of below-inflation pay rises. Junior doctors’ salaries actually fell by 26 percent between 2008 and 2022 due to inflation, according to the report.
To compensate for the 26 percent loss, a 35 percent increase in current salaries would be required.
In September the government introduced an 8.8 per cent increase in average junior doctors’ pay plus a flat rate of £1,250, which was said to be the final offer.
The BMA said a new five-week round of negotiations had resulted in a proposal of a 3 per cent increase on top of the average increase of 8.8 per cent already granted.
However, the union said the money would be distributed unevenly among different levels of doctors and “would still mean pay cuts for many doctors.”
Co-Chairman of the BMA Medical Committee, Dr. Robert Lawrenson called the proposal “wholly inadequate.”
He told LBC radio: “After five weeks of negotiations, not enough progress had been made and every member of our committee voted unanimously for further industrial action as the 3 per cent offer was completely insufficient to actually begin to address the pay cuts.” Percent. that doctors have had to deal with over the past fifteen years.
“All we’re aiming for is to regain that 26 per cent, so we’re back to a 0 per cent change from 2008, which is like a doctor starting at £21 an hour.
“We’re looking at something that would actually start with restoring doctors’ pay and pave the way to full restoration of pay – and I want to be clear: We’re not asking for all of this at once.”
On Tuesday, Health Minister Victoria Atkins said the government would “immediately seek to return to the negotiating table” if junior doctors’ strikes were called off.
She warned the strikes would put further pressure on the NHS during the busy winter period and “put patient safety at risk”.
When are the strikes?
The BMA said trainee doctors would strike for four days in December and a further six days in January.
The first stage begins at Wednesday, December 20, at 7:00 am. and ends at Saturday, December 23, at 7:00..
Then the doctors go on strike again Wednesday, January 3, 7 am. before Tuesday, January 9, 7 am..
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.