Junior doctors' strike: when are they walking out again and why?

Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) have kickstarted a five-day walkout from today (June 27) in a fresh wave of strike action over pay.

The walkout, which will likely lead to considerable disruption across UK health services, comes as the country faces a heatwave.

The union stated that it was acting because there has been no recent, realistic offer to end the walkout, which last occurred in February.The current action's timing in the week preceding a general election has drawn criticism from NHS executives.

The NHS Confederation described striking as a "bitter pill to swallow" because it is occurring during the election season and none of the political parties could settle the issue.Independent arbitration had been agreed upon by the Government and BMA in May, but it was postponed when the election was scheduled, and the union subsequently declared a walkout.In order to compensate for what it claims are 15 years of salary increases below inflation, it has requested a 35 per cent increase.

During the most recent fiscal year, junior doctors' salaries increased by an average of more than nine per cent.

NHS leaders have pointed out that they’re expecting “major disruption” to services in already-strained healthcare settings.

However, union leaders have also permitted some junior doctors to continue working to “prevent dangerous delays to cancer care”.

According to a social media post: “To prevent dangerous delays to cancer care, we are granting a derogation for surgical registrars working on high-risk upper GI, head and neck, and lung cancers at three hospital trusts: Lewisham and Greenwich, Guys & St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital.”

Despite giving Rishi Sunak the opportunity to “make an offer” earlier this year, the BMA decided to pursue strike action after the Government failed to take up their offer.

Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA’s junior doctors’ committee, said: "We made clear to the Government that we would strike unless discussions ended in a credible pay offer.

"For more than 18 months, we have been asking Rishi Sunak to put forward proposals to restore the pay junior doctors have lost over the past 15 years – equal to more than a quarter in real terms. “

They added of the strike taking place during the election period: "If during this campaign he [Mr Sunak] makes such a public commitment that is acceptable to the BMA's junior doctors committee, then no strikes need go ahead."

When are the next junior doctor strikes?

Strikes will take place from 7am today (Thursday, June 27) to Tuesday, July 2.

The UK general election will take place two days after the strike on July 4.

Why are junior doctors striking?

Junior doctors are striking to secure higher pay.

Some junior doctors find themselves working more than 50-hour weeks and juggling a variety of long shifts and overnight and weekend work.

Junior doctors, just at the beginning of their careers, get a starting salary of £32,398, according to the BMA. Some reports have pointed out that it's the equivalent of £15.53 an hour.

The Government gave them an average pay rise of 8.8 per cent last summer and an extra 3 per cent at the end of last year, which they have rejected.

The BMA would like full pay "restoration" to reverse real-term cuts in pay since 2008-09. It also wants a new pay mechanism to prevent future salary decreases against inflation and the cost of living.

Junior doctors, who range in experience from those just out of university to those with 10 years or more, make up nearly half the doctors in the NHS. The BMA says the profession needs to be given more respect.