Resident doctors in England will go on strike for four days in June, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced. The walkouts are set to begin at 7am on Monday, June 15, and conclude at 6.59am on Friday, June 19.
The announcement follows the union's first discussions with new Health Secretary James Murray on Wednesday. Murray, who replaced Wes Streeting earlier this month, expressed disappointment at the BMA's decision, describing their demands for further pay increases as "unrealistic, unaffordable, and unsustainable."
The BMA warned that additional strikes would be called in July if no progress is made. Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors' committee, stated that members seek "a credible, meaningful offer comprising concrete new jobs and real progress towards pay restoration."
Murray noted that resident doctors have received a 33.4% pay rise over the last four years, the highest in the public sector. He urged the BMA to "step back from more damaging strikes and work in partnership with the Government."
Dr Fletcher countered that the Government has shown "the same unwillingness to move" as under Streeting. He said the BMA is "ready and willing" to negotiate but felt it had "no choice" but to call further industrial action after six weeks of talks yielded no different offer.
The last strike by resident doctors, a six-day action over Easter, was the 15th since 2023. The cumulative cost of walkouts is estimated to have exceeded £3 billion. The BMA's resident doctor members have a mandate for industrial action until August, while the union is also balloting consultants and other specialists, with voting closing on July 6.
