🔗 Share this article Resident Physicians in England to Launch Five-Day Strike in November Medical professionals in the UK are set to stage a five-day walkout in November, due to disputes regarding jobs and pay. Strike Details The British Medical Association (BMA) announced that resident doctors will walk out for five consecutive days from 7am on 14 November to 7am on 19 November. Junior physicians, who make up about half of all doctors in the NHS, are taking this action after unsuccessful talks with the government. Reasons Behind the Strike Dr Jack Fletcher commented, “We did not want to reach this point. We have been negotiating for the past week with officials, urging the health secretary to end the scandal of unemployed physicians.” “Our survey reveals 50% of second-year physicians in the UK are facing unemployment, their skills going to waste whilst countless individuals endure long waits for care and shifts in hospitals go unfilled. This is a situation which cannot go on.” He continued, “We negotiated sincerely, hoping the minister to understand that a deal including options to gradually reverse the pay reductions over several years, providing recent graduates a pay increase of only £1 per hour for the coming four years.” “We hoped the authorities would see that our asks are not just reasonable but are in the interest of the community and our patients and would also help prevent our physicians leaving the health service.” About Resident Doctors Junior physicians have anywhere up to eight years’ experience practicing in hospitals, based on their field, or as many as three years in primary care. More details are expected shortly.