What’s behind the ‘longest-ever’ strike of junior doctors in the UK?

Why are doctors in the UK on a strike?

The doctors in the current strike are part of Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), a public-health service under government administration. It covers the entire population and under it, health services are free except for certain minor charges.

The BMA has mentioned demands to reverse the “steep decline in pay faced by junior doctors since 2008/09”, and to agree on a mechanism with the Government to prevent any future declines by pegging pay to inflation and cost of living. Junior doctors’ pay has been cut by more than a quarter since 2008, the union said, and they make up around half of all hospital doctors in England, according to a BBC report.

“A crippling cost-of-living crisis, burnout and well below inflation pay rises risk driving hard-working doctors out of their profession at a time when we need them more than ever. To protect the NHS, the Government must engage and address doctors’ concerns,” the BMA has said. Further, it stated that the NHS suffers from systemic issues, such as a lack of funding, chronic understaffing, poor retention, falling number of beds for patients and long waiting lists for the patients.

The ongoing action follows a doctors’ strike from March 2023. The three-day strike action by junior doctors resulted in the cancellation or postponement of more than 175,000 patient appointments and procedures, added to a treatment waitlist backlog of around 7 million patients, the Financial Times reported. A nurses’ strike in December 2022 saw 100,000 nurses participate, leading to the cancellation of an estimated 70,000 appointments. The current strike will also add to the backlog, although accident and emergency services are available.

In May, a deal was struck with the government, under which the nursing staff would get a 5% pay rise plus a one-off sum of at least £1,655, the BBC reported. But since then, some protests from medical workers have been observed across the country.

Is it only junior doctors who are striking?

Yes, but only for now. Due to the strikes, some of the more senior doctors are having to step in and they also plan to strike next week. Moreover, recent months have seen other workers in the British economy air out their grievances over pay and working conditions as well. Teachers went on a strike in early July, while metro rail workers will do so by the end of the month. Rail workers have conducted such strikes on and off, in recent months.

What explains these recent strikes in the UK?

Largely concerning the issue of inadequate pay, these strikes have often been helmed by frontline workers, who were active during the Covid-19 pandemic and worked despite risks to their health. They have argued that prevailing inflation in the UK has added to their living costs and wages have not kept pace with the price rise.

Some of the price rises can be attributed to supply chain issues resulting from the pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war, which sent energy and food prices soaring, the AP reported. Moreover, experts also attribute some of the UK-specific cost of living issues to Brexit.

How has the British government responded?

“This five-day walkout by junior doctors will have an impact on thousands of patients, put patient safety at risk and hamper efforts to cut NHS waiting lists,” said Health Secretary Steve Barclay. However, many of the tens of thousands of doctors in England are making the case for a 35% pay bump. “A pay demand of 35% or more is unreasonable and risks fuelling inflation, which makes everyone poorer,” Barclay said.

Pay rises of at least 6% have been proposed from the government’s side for millions of public sector staff, accepting the recommendations of independent Pay Review Bodies (PRBs), according to Reuters. These are independent panels that gather evidence and provide the government with advice on pay for many public sector workers.

Multiple PRBs recommend pay in sectors including health, teaching, the police, the army and the prison service. Its members come from a range of organisations and are appointed by the prime minister or other ministers. Their suggestions are not binding but are usually accepted by the government. Of late, they have suggested a pay rise between 5 to 7%. Reuters also reported that the median pay settlement agreed in the private sector in the three months to the end of April was 5.8%, compared with 5% in the public sector.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed Thursday that the government was accepting the recommendations from pay review bodies. He said the offer is “final” and that there will be “no more talks on pay.”