England Resident Doctors Start Five-Day Strike

Resident doctors across England launched a five-day strike on Wednesday, December 17, walking out over disputes regarding pay restoration and a shortage of training positions, as the National Health Service grapples with a surge in flu cases.

The industrial action, organized by the British Medical Association, began at 7 a.m. and is set to continue until 7 a.m. on Monday, December 22. It involves resident doctors, formerly referred to as junior doctors, who comprise nearly half of the hospital medical workforce. Pickets formed early outside major facilities, including St. Thomas' Hospital in London and Manchester Royal Infirmary, where around 30 to 40 doctors braved rainy conditions to protest. Similar actions occurred at hospitals throughout Greater Manchester and other regions.

The strike stems from years of real-terms pay erosion due to below-inflation increases, with the BMA demanding a 26 to 29 percent rise to return salaries to 2008 and 2009 levels. Union members also seek the creation of new training posts to address a jobs crisis, where qualified doctors struggle to secure specialty roles. In a ballot with 65 percent turnout, 83 percent of the 35,107 participating...