Resident doctors in England are to strike for five days before Christmas as part of a dispute with the government over jobs and pay.
The doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, will be in action from 7 am on December 17 to 7 am on December 22. This follows similar strike action between 14 November and 19 November.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee, said: “With the Government failing to put forward a credible plan to fix the jobs crisis for resident doctors, as well as insisting on real pay cuts for them, we have no choice but to announce more strike dates.
“However, these do not need to go ahead. Increasing pay gradually over a few years and some common sense solutions to protect the job security of our doctors are within the reach of this Government. This will ensure the long-term strength of our healthcare workforce and save the country the embarrassment of seeing unemployed doctors at a time when patients are queuing to even see a GP.
“This month we have seen the full ridiculous extent of the jobs crisis, with second-year doctors applying for training posts being asked to provide evidence of far more experience than has previously been asked of them. It is exactly this type of situation that is driving doctors away from jobs and into strike action. But it is not too late for the government to get control of the situation.”
More details soon…
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