Thousands of doctors residing in England announced this Friday a 72-hour strike that will begin on March 13, in an escalation of the conflict they have with the authorities in rejection of recent salary cuts that exceeded 26%.
Nearly 40,000 resident physicians voted in favor of the measure, which has already been notified to hospitals and employers.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents resident doctors, said it had tried to negotiate with Health Minister Steve Barclay on several occasions, but so far no significant progress.
“Make no mistake, this strike was absolutely a gift from the Government”British Medical Association
“Resident Physicians they feel demoralized and angry due to pay cuts and grueling working conditions in the NHS,” the NHS said in a statement.
the nurses too
The residents’ strike adds to the measures carried out by thousands of nurses and ambulance personnel in a salary dispute against the growth of inflation, in a protest that is already considered the largest in the 75 years of history of the National Health Service.
They explained that twice in the last week they called Barclay to meet urgently, but so far there is no date for a next meeting.
From the committee of resident doctors of the BMA, they urged the government to take responsibility for the strike and to the Minister of Health begins to negotiate to avoid future measures of force.
strike and wages
Resident physicians require a fair wage that reflects your work and dedication in line with inflation, which is at 10.5% per year.
Doctors Rob Laurenson and Vivek Trivedi said both patients and the public should know that the blame for the strike lies squarely with the government.
“Make no mistake, this strike was absolutely a gift from the government; they know it, we know it and our patients need to know it too. We have tried, since last summer, to have every Minister of Health that we have had sit at the negotiating table. We have written many times and even yesterday we were hopeful that Barclay would recognize the need to meet with us to find a viable solution that could have prevented this strike.”
“This, coupled with the stress and exhaustion of working in an NHS in crisis, has brought us to this moment, led to a 72-hour strike,” they concluded.