Junior doctors in the British Medical Association (BMA) held three ‘super-pickets’ on the Monday of their tenth tranche of strike action, from 24-28 February. Big crowds of doctors came together at St Thomas’s Hospital in central London, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, and Manchester Royal Infirmary.
At Queen Elizabeth Hospital, dozens of doctors from across the Midlands gathered with a determination to win a level of pay reflecting the demands of the job.
One BMA member told us: “We’re losing doctors – everyone is training here then going to Australia or Canada for a better quality of life”. By way of comparison, one doctor commented: “I earned more working as a carer through uni than as a junior doctor”. Another added: “On some shifts, porters earn £5 an hour more than we do. They deserve every penny, they keep the hospital running – all we’re asking for is the same”.
Reflecting the deep scepticism towards the existing pro-capitalist parties’ willingness to solve the staffing crisis, one picket said they had no plans to vote for the local Blairite Labour MP – despite being a card-carrying Labour member!
Birmingham Socialist Party members
