This Wednesday, British internists began a six-day strike in Englandone Unprecedented duration for the British public health system.to demand better salaries.
The strike of doctors in training to obtain the respective specialty, around 70 thousand in England, began at 7:00 a.m. (same time in Lisbon) and will end at the same time on January 9.
These doctors, who It had already stopped for 28 days throughout 2023voted in favor of a new industrial strike following negotiations between the British Medical Association (BMA) union and the British Government it has failed in December.
The union rejected a proposed 8.8% pay rise last summer, demanding a 35% increase to make up for the loss of purchasing power since 2008.
The strike will mainly affect scheduled appointmentsmany of which were canceled to concentrate available doctors in urgent and emergency care.
The strike comes during what NHS officials consider one of the busiest weeks of the year, after the festive period.
“Not only will this action have a major impact on planned care, it adds to a number of seasonal pressures, such as Covid, flu and staff sick leave, which affect the way patients are treated.” in hospitals,” lamented Stephen Powis. medical director of NHS England, in a statement.
The Minister of Health, Victoria Atkins, today urged internal doctors, who in some cases charge 14 pounds (16 euros) an hour, to “return to the negotiating table so that we can find a fair and reasonable solution to end the health once and for all. .
But the BMA union considers that “the Government has not shown itself capable of presenting a credible proposal on wages”, with a proposal that, in its opinion, would not stop the fall in purchasing power.
“We spent the holidays waiting to receive the ‘final offer’ that the Minister of Health promised us last year. Unfortunately, this has not happened,” lamented Robert Laurenson and Vivek Trivedi, representatives of the BMA Young Doctors Committee, on Wednesday. fair.
An internist earns around £32,000 (37,000 euros) in their first year of practice, according to the government, but the BMA estimates that their salaries have fallen by almost 25% since 2008, taking inflation into account.
Internal doctors in Wales are also planning a 72-hour strike from January 15, while those in Northern Ireland are also considering a strike. In Scotland, professionals have reached an agreement with the Scottish self-government in 2023.
Medical specialists in England recently got a raise ranging from 6% to 19.6%.
The UK has recorded a large number of strikes since mid-2022, as a result of the growing cost of living crisis, with most ending after agreements, particularly in transport and education.
Inflation, which remained above 10% for several months, recently slowed and stood at 3.9% in annual terms in November.
Source: TSF
