Resident doctors in England commenced a six-day strike on Tuesday following their rejection of a government pay and workforce proposal, which officials stated would not be improved. The British Medical Association (BMA) criticized the offer for failing to address years of declining pay value and ongoing staffing challenges.
The industrial action, scheduled to continue through the Easter holiday period, is set to conclude on the morning of April 13. This strike follows a 48-hour ultimatum issued by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which expired without resolution. In a significant development, the government has withdrawn its commitment to fund 1,000 additional specialty training positions, a pledge that was contingent on the acceptance of the deal.
Health Minister Wes Streeting emphasized that the government is unwilling to allocate funds intended for patient care toward a settlement it deems unaffordable. He estimated the strike’s impact to cost the National Health Service approximately £50 million ($66 million) daily, totaling around £300 million over the six-day period.
Speaking on Times Radio, Streeting noted that resident doctors had received the largest pay increase of any public sector group under the current Labour government. However, he pointed out that the union declined the offer without proposing an alternative. Last month, Streeting urged the BMA to reconsider, stating the offer “doesn’t get better than this.”
The BMA represents roughly 55,000 resident doctors—formerly known as junior doctors—who constitute nearly half of the medical workforce in England. Since early 2023, the BMA has organized over a dozen rounds of industrial action focused on pay, which successive governments have blamed for hampering efforts to reduce waiting lists within the state-run health service.
The union argues that the government’s pay and workforce proposal falls short of addressing long-standing issues, including historical pay increases that have failed to keep pace with inflation. The offer includes a 3.5% pay rise this year, which the government claims is above inflation, and projects total pay increases of approximately 35% over three years. It also includes reimbursement of mandatory exam fees, which can amount to thousands of pounds for doctors.
Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee, expressed concerns about the reduced investment in the deal, the gradual rollout of proposed reforms, and uncertainties surrounding the implementation of new training posts. Fletcher also criticized the government’s threat to withdraw parts of the agreement, stating it has undermined confidence in the negotiations.
In a statement posted on X, the BMA declared, “No one wants to strike. But without a credible offer on the table, doctors are left with no alternative.” The ongoing dispute highlights the growing tensions between the government and medical professionals over pay and workforce conditions amid mounting pressures on the NHS.
