LONDON: Hospital doctors in England on Wednesday began their longest consecutive strike in the seven-decade history of Britain’s National Service (NHS).
Junior doctors — those below consultant level — started a six-day walkout at 07:00 GMT, in a major escalation of their long-running pay dispute with the UK government.
The industrial action, which ends next Tuesday, comes at one of the busiest times of the year for the state-funded NHS, when it faces increased pressure from winter respiratory illnesses.
It also quickly follows a three-day strike held by doctors just before Christmas, part of a wider series of stoppages across several sectors sparked by high inflation and a cost-of-living crisis.
Striking doctors say their wages have gone down by a quarter in real terms under the current government, which has been in power since 2010.
On a picket line outside St Thomas’ Hospital, across the River Thames from the UK parliament in London, medics held up signs calling for better funding for the overstretched health service.
Others read “£15/hour is not a fair wage for a junior doctor” and “Reduced pay keeps the doctor away”, with a map of Australia, which has previously advertised for UK-based staff to move.
“A lot of doctors are moving to Australia, not just because of the pay but also the work-life balance is better,” said one doctor, Georgia Blackwell, 28.
UK Health Secretary Victoria Atkins warned that the latest strikes will have a “serious impact” on patients across the country. — AFP
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