English doctors to strike for two days over pay
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Consultant doctors in England will strike for two days from 25 November to demand better pay and working conditions. They will provide emergency care only, likely to severely disrupt routine and planned care, according to the British Medical Association, which says real pay has fallen by 25% in 17 years.
Consultant doctors at English public hospitals will go on strike for two days from 6.59 am GMT on 25 November, in a dispute over pay and working conditions, Punch reports. During the strike, they will provide emergency care only, an arrangement likely to disrupt routine appointments and planned procedures.
The British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors’ union, says consultants received a 3.5% pay rise this year, but estimates their pay has fallen by a quarter over 17 years after accounting for inflation. The union is also calling for the standard working week to be reduced from 40 to 35 hours, better pay for work outside normal hours and changes to pensions.
According to the BBC, consultants’ average earnings exceed £150,000 a year. Their basic salary ranges from £113,500 for the least experienced to £150,500 for the most experienced, with bonuses on top. In the BMA ballot, 76% of participants voted in favour of strike action; just over half of eligible members voted.
British Health Secretary Yvette Cooper described the announcement of the strike dates as disappointing. She said the government had held constructive talks with the BMA and called the action irresponsible, saying it would put further pressure on the health system.
