Doctors In England Plan Longest Strike Ever

Hospital doctors in England on Wednesday commence their longest consecutive strike in the seven-decade history of Britain’s National Health Service.

Junior doctors, those below consultant level will walk out for six days in a major escalation of their long-running pay dispute with the United Kingdom government.

The industrial action comes at one of the busiest times of the year for the state-funded NHS, when it faces increased pressure from winter respiratory illnesses.

It also quickly follows a three-day strike held by doctors just before Christmas.

The NHS said the latest walkout, which could see up to half of the medical workforce on picket lines, would have “a significant impact on almost all routine care.”

“This January could be one of the most difficult starts to the year the NHS has ever faced,” said its national medical director, Stephen Powis.

The strike commences at 7:00 am (0700 GMT) and will end at the same time on Tuesday, January 9.

The British Medical Association announced the walkout in December after a breakdown in talks with the government.

The union said junior doctors have been offered a 3 percent rise on top of the average 8.8 per cent increase they were given earlier this year.

It rejected the offer because the cash would be split unevenly across different doctor grades and “still amount to pay cuts for many doctors.”