AFPYoung doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital in London on the first day of the strike
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 11:41
Starting today, junior doctors in England will be off work for six days. This makes it the longest strike in the 75-year history of the British public healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS). Interest groups warn of the consequences for patient safety.
The young doctors, junior doctors called striking for a higher salary. Negotiations about this broke down before Christmas, after an offer of an 8 to 10 percent wage increase was made. Doctors’ union British Medical Association is seeking a 35 percent increase, which the union believes is necessary to compensate for inflation in recent years.
Junior doctors make up around half of all doctors in the NHS. It is likely that many check-up appointments and medical interventions in hospitals cannot take place due to the strike.
The strike takes place in England. Later there is a strike in Wales. Doctors in Scotland already agreed their salaries last year.
‘Credible offer’
Last year, other British healthcare workers, such as nurses and ambulance crews, went on strike. This allowed, according to the BBC around 1.2 million appointments are cancelled.
The government has now made new salary agreements with senior doctors and nurses. The doctors’ union is calling on the government to make a “credible” offer to junior doctors to end the strikes.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Sunak tells Reuters that the government is willing to re-open discussions about the salaries of junior doctors. But first the strikes must end, the spokesperson says.
2024-01-03 10:41:40
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