England Doctors Launch Five-Day Strike Over Pay, Working Conditions
The mass walkout follows what the British Medical Association (BMA) characterized as "the continuing failure of the government to make a credible offer on jobs or pay."
The strike action materialized after physicians overwhelmingly rejected a revised government proposal, the BMA announced in a Monday statement.
The Department of Health package included expanding new specialty training positions from 1,000 to 4,000 over three years, alongside a commitment to introduce emergency legislation in the new year prioritizing UK medical graduates for these posts.
Despite these measures, 83% of BMA member doctors rejected the offer and authorized continuing planned strike action.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting previously dismissed the physicians' demands, calling a 26% pay rise demand over the next few years on top of last year's 28.9% pay rise "totally unrealistic demand."
The strike arrives at a critical juncture for England's healthcare system. Last week, the NHS warned hospitals face a "worst case scenario" in December amid a "super flu" surge, revealing an average of 2,660 patients per day occupied hospital beds with flu during the first week of December—the highest figure ever recorded for this period and 55% higher than the preceding week.
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