Junior doctors in England are to escalate their industrial action for better pay by striking for five days.
Doctors are the backbone of every society, as we have witnessed the role they play during the COVID-19. What is the dire necessity that led doctors to strike? The British Medical Association (BMA) also reported junior doctors being “inundated” with job offers.
Why are they striking?
As the government categorically have been ignoring their calls for their pay to be restored to 2008 levels. The government of South Australia sent a truck with advertisement hoarding to picket lines offering for well-paid jobs. The attempts to lure angry and dissatisfied NHS workers away comes against a backdrop of 154,000 staff shortage. Which also includes 47,000 nurses, more than 8,500 doctors, and shortages of midwives, general practitioners and community nurses.
The Strike
July’s action will be the longest single period of industrial action in the history of the health service. The NHS is one of this country’s proudest achievements. And it is shameful that we have a government seemingly content to let it decline to the point of collapse with decades of real-terms pay cuts to doctors driving them away. The neglect of workforce has left us with 7.4 million people on waiting lists for surgery and procedures. 8,500 unfilled doctors’ posts in hospitals, and doctors who can barely walk down the road with foreign government.
The support for the action?
80% of junior doctors reported that patients supports their actions. Even though the government can avert our action by coming to the table with a credible offer on pay restoration. A spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the junior doctors “chose to end talks by announcing new strike dates”. If the strikes are cancelled they will be able to proceed with those discussions. The doctors will like to strike from July 13 to 18.
The strikes for doctors are necessary as the oppressive regime of the government have suppressed their pay demands. This is exploitation of their work and also the shortage of workforce have overburdened the work of the existing doctors. The strike will likely to bring changes if the government agrees on doctor’s demand.
