Junior doctors strike: Union announces three likely dates for industrial action

Protest: Doctors in Whitehall earlier this year
Rex
Ramzy Alwakeel12 November 2015

Junior doctors will strike for three separate days next month if union members back a walk-out in their strike ballot.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has taken the unusual step of announcing the proposed dates ahead of declaring the vote result, because it says it will minimise the impact on patients and colleagues.

Union bosses have clashed with health secretary Jeremy Hunt over proposed changes to doctors’ contracts they say will see members out of pocket and forced to work harsher hours.

Thursday's announcement followed a 20,000-strong protest in October that saw doctors from across the country descend on Whitehall to demand Mr Hunt scrap his plans.

Since then he has offered an 11 per cent pay rise but the union says it will lower pay for work in unsocial hours

The first proposed strike lasts 24 hours from 8am on December 1 and would see junior doctors providing emergency care only – the same model typically used on Christmas Day.

Then on December 8 and December 16 they would refuse to treat anyone between 8am and 5pm.

In an email to all members in England, BMA council chair Mark Porter wrote: “We are releasing this information at this early stage because we want to give as much notice as possible.

“It sounds like an oxymoron when talking about industrial action, but we genuinely want to minimise any disruption to other NHS staff and, above all, to patients.

“Our dispute is with the government and our ballot for industrial action is a last resort in the face of their continued intransigence.”

The Department of Health has been approached for comment.

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