Junior doctors in England to stage 4-day walkout next month

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Junior doctors in England will stage a four-day walkout next month, the British Medical Association said on Wednesday.

This will be the fifth round of strike action from junior doctors over their pay dispute with the government. The walkout will be staged on Aug. 11-15.

The core demand of the association is the restoration of their salary to the level equivalent to what they earned in 2008, reflecting a 35% increase.

Earlier this month, the government declared that it had presented a "final" pay offer to junior doctors, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asserted that further negotiations would not take place.

However, the British Medical Association (BMA) has expressed its disagreement, stating that Sunak cannot unilaterally decide that negotiations have concluded without engaging in direct discussions with the union.

As per the current offer, junior doctors are set to receive a 6% pay increase, plus £1,250 ($1,614). This raise translates to an overall pay hike ranging from 8.1% to 10.3%, depending on their previous pay packages.

The UK’s healthcare system has always had problems, but things have taken a turn for the worse due to the fallout of the Ukraine war, Brexit, and a spiraling cost-of-living crisis, according to multiple reports by unions, universities and think tanks.