UK: Junior doctors go on three-day strike over pay, burnout

Junior doctors in the United Kingdom started a three-day strike this week over pay and burnout. The industrial action by junior doctors is the latest in the strikes recently carried out by workers in key sectors.

Junior doctors in the UK will stage a three-day strike starting Monday, protesting against inadequate pay as well as burnout that could result in staff shortage in the National Health Service as it tries to tackle its long waiting lists. According to the British Medical Association, which represents doctors and medical students, the take-home pay of junior doctors was cut by more than a quarter in the past 15 years based on the Retail Price Index gauge of inflation, and its members have overwhelmingly voted in favor of strikes.

Junior doctors make up a large part of the medical community, and the walkouts by the physicians will further pressure the government-backed NHS, which has already been experiencing strikes by nurses, ambulance workers, and other staff.

The NHS said it would be prioritizing “resources to protect emergency and critical care, maternity care and where possible, prioritize patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.” However, thousands of appointments and procedures would get canceled during the three-day strike.

For several key sectors, such as train drivers and teachers that were going on strikes, the government said public sector pay restraint is needed in order to get inflation under control. Over the weekend, thousands of protesters marched through London to the prime minister’s residence in support of healthcare workers who have already held strikes over pay and working conditions in the NHS.

Meanwhile, a union representing thousands of drivers at National Express announced that they would put a halt to all strikes that were set to start this week in order to vote on an improved pay offer from the employer. Unite, the trade union representing the 3,200 drivers and around 200 engineers, said indefinite strike action would start on March 20 instead if the new offer is rejected during the vote.

“Following significant progress with the company in negotiations, an improved pay offer was made,” said Unite regional officer Sulinder Singh in a statement.