England Resident Doctors Start Five-Day Strike Over Pay

Thousands of resident doctors across England began a five-day strike on Friday, November 14, 2024, at 7 a.m., halting non-emergency work in a dispute over pay and working conditions. The action, organized by the British Medical Association (BMA), will continue until 7 a.m. on Wednesday, November 19, marking the 13th such walkout since March 2023 and exacerbating pressures on the National Health Service (NHS) amid rising winter illnesses.

The strike stems from ongoing negotiations between the BMA and the government, which failed to resolve differences after a meeting on October 13. Resident doctors, who comprise about half of the NHS doctor workforce, are seeking a 26 percent pay uplift to restore salaries eroded by inflation since 2008. According to the BMA, real-terms pay has fallen 20 percent over that period, based on the Retail Price Index. The government counters that resident doctors have received a 28.9 percent increase over the past three years, including a 5.4 percent rise for 2025-2026, and cannot afford further adjustments this year due to public finances.

Dr. Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA's resident doctors committee, described the latest government offer as...