Junior doctors begin 4-day strike across England

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Tens of thousands of junior doctors on Tuesday began a four-day strike in England over an ongoing pay dispute.

The 96-hour industrial action is the "second round" of strike action by the British Medical Association (BMA), as they also went on strike for 72 hours on March 11-13.

An estimated 350,000 appointments, including operations, will be canceled as a result of the strike, according to local media reports.

In a statement issued in late March, the union said that the decision to hold a fresh strike action in April was taken after "the highest-ever number of junior doctors" voted for a walkout.

"The Government continues to refuse to grant full pay restoration. Junior doctors have no option but to take action," it added.

While workload and waiting lists are at record highs, junior doctors’ pay has been cut by more than a quarter since 2008, according to the BMA.

Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said that the strike is having a "catastrophic impact" on NHS waiting lists.