Junior doctors begin six-day strike
On 3 January, thousands of junior doctors in England began a six-day strike. A strike is when workers team up and refuse to work to persuade their bosses to give them more pay and better working conditions.
What is a junior doctor?
A junior doctor is a qualified doctor who is doing further training while working. It usually takes four to six years of study at university to get a medical qualification. To gain more experience after graduating, doctors spend several years working with patients under the supervision of senior doctors. During this time, they are called junior doctors.
What do junior doctors want?
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents doctors and medical students, wants junior doctors to be given a pay rise of 35%. The BMA says that the pay increase of 2% that junior doctors received in 2022 was not enough because it did not match the rate of inflation (when the price of things like food increases over time). The BMA hopes the pay rise will mean fewer NHS doctors leave their jobs or move to work in another country for better pay and conditions. As The Week Junior went to press, the BMA and the Government had not arranged to meet and discuss ways to bring the strike to an end.
How is the NHS being affected?
January is a very busy time for the NHS – in the winter, more people get Covid and flu. During the strike, senior doctors will do the work of junior doctors, and people who are very sick and need urgent help will be cared for. The NHS says it is very important that people get in touch if they need help.
How have people reacted?
On 3 January, the Government’s health minister Victoria Atkins asked junior doctors to end their strike and discuss ways to find a solution. On the same day, the BMA said, “The Government has the chance to show doctors they still have a future working in this country”. It asked the Government to make a more generous offer that could convince the junior doctors to end their protest and go back to work.