Junior doctors in the BMA and HCSA struck for 72 hours on 14, 15 and 16 June. Protests and demonstrations backed up picket lines across England. 1,000 marched in London and 600 in Manchester.
“Junior doctors are willing to fight to ensure our NHS is staffed with the skilled medical workforce we require, and that we are meaningfully remunerated for our hard work and dedication… We will strike again and we are prepared for a summer of industrial action. We will do whatever it takes to get the government, which we have repeatedly requested help from, to respond with a worthy pay restoration agreement. Doctors stand in solidarity and we will not give up.”
Aicha, junior doctor in Chesterfield
“Over the last 15 years, pay has been eroded by 25%, and persistent rota gaps left unfilled. This has caused doctors to leave the NHS, often overseas to countries like Australia where pay is better. That then creates more work for those still doing the job – basically making us work even harder for less pay, with patients suffering the most. Everyone should get a decent wage, wherever they work. But the government knows that if they pay junior doctors what we demand, then other public sector workers will fight and strike for the same.”
Junior doctor at Newham Hospital, east London
“We’re constantly trying our best to provide quality care to patients. We’ve made sacrifice after sacrifice, culminating in putting our lives at risk during the pandemic when the whole world closed its doors. After all that, another real-terms pay cut is just a slap in the face. We genuinely don’t want to strike but without any meaningful discussion with the government it’s become necessary for the profession and the NHS itself.”
Junior doctor in Manchester
Maggie Fricker reports lots of solidarity for the junior doctors at Southampton General Hospital. The mood was still very determined. The plan is to roll out three days of strike action every month to force the Tories to make a better offer. The strikers also believe the consultants will vote for action with a ‘Christmas Day’ service only.
- Thanks to Jon Dale, Adam Powell-Davies and Oisin Duncan
