Next month, junior doctors in England will walk out for three consecutive days after an overwhelming majority voted to strike over pay and conditions. Just under 50,000 doctors were entitled to vote in the British Medical Association ballot, and 78 per cent did. Of the votes cast, 98 per cent voted in favour of strike action.
The term ‘junior doctor’ refers to newly qualified foundation doctors, as well as all those doctors ranked in between, up until and including senior registrars. These doctors are hoping for a 26 per cent pay rise – a figure they say would amount to ‘full pay restoration’ after the BMA concluded that junior doctors have seen their real-terms wages fall ‘by more than a quarter’ since 2008. A doctor in their first year of training in England starts on a base rate of £29,384, which many say is not adequate remuneration for the long hours and strenuous shift patterns they have to work.
The BMA’s argument for strike action is that better working conditions would lead to staff retention – and ultimately an improvement on the current state of the NHS.
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