“The Prime Minister has told us that talks are over. But it is not for Rishi Sunak to decide that negotiations are over before he has even stepped in the room.”
By the BMA Media Team
The BMA junior doctors committee (JDC) has today announced the next round of monthly strike action by junior doctors in England. The four-day walkout will take place between 7AM on Friday 11th August and 7AM on Tuesday 15th August.
JDC co-chairs Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said:
“It should never have got to the point where we needed to announce a fifth round of strike action. Our message today remains the same: act like a responsible government, come to the table to negotiate with us in good faith, and with a credible offer these strikes need not go ahead at all.
“The Prime Minister has told us that talks are over. But it is not for Rishi Sunak to decide that negotiations are over before he has even stepped in the room. This dispute will end only at the negotiating table. If the PM was hoping to demoralise and divide our profession with his actions, he will be disappointed.
“Consultants, along with our Specialist and Associate Specialist colleagues, have covered crucial services during our strikes and those same consultants were also on their own picket lines last week. Mutual solidarity has been on display at hospital picket lines up and down the country: this is a profession united in its refusal to accept yet another pay cut.
“Junior doctors are not going anywhere however much Government might wish we would. The facts have not changed: we have lost more than a quarter of our pay in fifteen years and we are here to get it back.”
- The British Medical Association (BMA) is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. You can follow the BMA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- This article was originally published by The BMA on July 26th, 2023.
Onya Junior Doctors. You should be paid much more