Health Secretary Wes Streeting has condemned the decision by resident doctors to press ahead with strike action, describing it as “completely unprecedented in the history of British trade unionism” and showing “complete disdain for patients and the wider recovery of the NHS”.
The British Medical Association (BMA) confirmed that no offer had been made to avert the five-day strike, which is set to begin on 25 July. As many as 50,000 resident doctors in England are expected to join the walkout, demanding a 29% pay rise to restore salaries eroded over the past decade.
Streeting said the BMA had rejected offers to improve working conditions and career progression, including addressing bottlenecks that leave qualified doctors without jobs. He accused the union of “recklessly and needlessly” opting for industrial action, adding that there was no further room for the government to move on pay.
The BMA argued that while it was willing to discuss non-pay issues, the dispute remained fundamentally about pay. Co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said the government had not offered a “credible path to pay restoration”, noting that more than a fifth of resident doctors’ pay had been eroded since 2008.
Whitehall sources expressed fury at the breakdown in relations, suggesting that further talks would not resume until after the strike. Streeting said his focus would now be on averting harm to patients and supporting NHS staff during the industrial action.
