Thousands of senior doctors in England have embarked on a 48-hour walkout to protest for improved pay and working conditions, causing widespread disruptions and paralyzing hospitals. The strike is part of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the U.K. and comes shortly after junior doctors engaged in a five-day walkout, marking the longest strike in the history of the state-funded National Health Service (NHS).
As a result of the strike, numerous operations and appointments have been cancelled, and health officials expect the impact to be the most severe yet, as almost no work can be carried out in hospitals without supervision from senior doctors. During the walkout, senior doctors, also known as consultants, will only be available for urgent and critical care until Saturday morning.
The U.K. government has offered a 6% pay increase to the doctors, but the British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors’ union, has rejected this offer, deeming it “derisory.” The BMA argues that doctors have seen their real-term take-home pay decrease by more than a third over the past 14 years. They accuse authorities of refusing to engage in meaningful negotiations on pay.
Dr. Vishal Sharma, a member of the BMA executive, expressed the frustrations of many doctors, stating that they feel undervalued and overworked. He emphasized that doctors did not want to resort to such drastic measures, but they feel compelled to do so due to the government’s lack of action.
Psychiatrist Polly Christodoulou, who participated in the picket line outside a hospital in south London, highlighted the issue of doctors leaving the profession for better wages in the private sector or other countries like Australia. Many doctors have invested significant time and effort in their careers and feel their hard work is not being adequately recognized.
The BMA contends that under the 2003 contract, senior doctors earn an initial salary of about £88,300 ($113,453), which increases to around £119,100 after approximately 20 years. Doctors argue that their wages have fallen behind those of other highly-trained professionals, such as lawyers.
The walkout is part of a larger trend of public sector workers in the U.K. demanding better pay to cope with rising costs of food, energy, and housing. The inflation rate in the U.K. remains high at 7.9% in June, compared to other Group of Seven economies.
Even before the strikes, the NHS was facing significant challenges, including a shortage of workforce, extensive backlogs, and funding gaps. Hospital executives have warned that the ongoing labor disputes could result in billions of pounds in losses and are calling for a resolution to the impasse.
In addition to the medical strike, rail workers have also engaged in further walkouts due to a long-running pay dispute, causing disruptions for commuters and travelers.
As the strikes unfolded, a new law aimed at reducing the impact of industrial actions by essential workers, including paramedics, firefighters, and rail workers, came into effect. The law allows officials to impose minimum service levels during strikes, a move that has faced opposition from unions and opposition parties, who argue that it curtails workers’ fundamental right to strike.