Resident Doctors have announced another five day strike this month
The strike action will take place from the 17th-22nd December
Confirming the new strike dates, BMA resident doctors committee co-chair Jack Fletcher said that, while doctors would rather be treating patients than be on picket lines, continuing inaction with addressing the profession’s concerns meant there was no alternative.
He said: ‘With neither a credible plan to fix the jobs’ crisis for resident doctors nor address their pay erosion coming from Government, we have no choice but to announce more strike dates.
‘However, these do not need to go ahead. Gradually raising pay over a few years and some common-sense fixes to the job security of our doctors are well within the reach of this Government.
‘It would ensure both the long-term strength of our healthcare workforce and spare the country the indignity of seeing unemployed doctors at a time patients are queuing up to even see a GP.’
Resident doctors returned to picket lines last month after negotiations between the RDC and the Department of Health failed to make meaningful progress on restoring pay or addressing the unemployment crisis.
The BMA has condemned the Government’s refusal to consider a multiyear pay deal for resident doctors, as well as plans to award a 2.5 per cent pay increase next year, a move which would see doctors receive real-terms pay cut.
