The union representing junior doctors have announced a fresh 72-hour walkout in response to what they call the government’s “paltry” 5% pay offer.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said they will strike in England from June 14-17 in a bid to force ministers “to put forward a credible offer.”
They warned that if the government “doesn’t change their position, we will strike throughout the summer”.
A spokesperson for the department of health said it is “both surprising and deeply disappointing” that further strike action has been declared “while constructive talks were ongoing”.
But the BMA said talks “have now reached a stage where they are currently unproductive”.
Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee said: “Accordingly, we are in a position where we must call new industrial action. We are today announcing that junior doctors in England will hold another 72-hour full walkout between 0700 on Wednesday 14 June and 0700 on Saturday 17 June.
“And if the government doesn’t change their position, we will strike throughout the summer. This means we will call a minimum of three days of action every month for the duration of our mandate for industrial action.”
Politics latest: Home secretary dodges questions on speeding row; Sadiq Khan may have suffered ‘heart attack’ at climate conference
Police investigating Madeleine McCann disappearance to search reservoir in Portugal, Sky News understands
Britain sees surge in migration despite Brexit – as skilled workers from Asia and Africa plug staff shortages
The BMA say they have had a 26% real-terms salary cut over the past 15 years and “deserve full pay restoration now”.
The want a pay rise of 35% which ministers say is unaffordable.
The BMA have accused the government of failing to recognise “the scale of our pay erosion” and “this was made clear when they finally made their pay offer of 5%”.
“Not only is that nowhere near addressing pay erosion over the last fifteen years, it would not even have matched inflation this year,” they said.
“We are not in these meetings to agree to have our pay cut further, and the government knows that. This was simply not a credible offer.”
