Junior doctors in England begin five-day strike over pay

MOSCOW - England's junior doctors commenced a five-day strike demanding a pay raise on Thursday, a week before the general election in the country, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced, reported Sputnik.

"Junior doctors today embarked on their eleventh round of strikes in England, after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak failed to avert further action by committing to restoring their pay," the UK's largest doctors' union said, adding that last week, Sunak was offered a chance to officially commit to raising the pay of medical professionals but he failed to do so, prompting the union to strike.

In a letter to the prime minister last week, the union said that over the last 15 years, the pay of medical professionals had decreased by over 26 per cent. The demanded raise includes losses caused by inflation over this period.

"No doctor wants to strike, not this time nor the ten rounds of action before it. We have been forced to this position by more than a decade of savage pay cuts, and nothing would make us happier than returning to work this week with a commitment to pay restoration," the union quoted its junior doctors committee co-chairs Robert Laurenson and Vivek Trivedi as saying.

The strike is expected to last from Thursday, June 27 to Tuesday, July 2, 06.00 GMT.

About 25,000 junior doctors are expected to participate in the strike, The Guardian reported later in the day, adding that in connection to this, the UK's National Health Service expects widespread disruption in the functioning of medical facilities.

The UK healthcare system has been suffering from an acute shortage of health professionals for many months. More and more people are leaving the profession amid excessive pressure, rising prices and lack of opportunities to improve their skills. The situation is exacerbated by strikes by medical staff.

In 2023, there was a record number of excess deaths in the United Kingdom amid NHS strikes, The Telegraph reported in January, citing analysis.

The UK general election is scheduled for July 4. The main rivalry for the prime minister's office is between UK incumbent leader Rishi Sunak, the head of the Conservative Party, and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer. - BERNAMA