Junior doctors set for a fresh round of strike action

The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced that junior doctors will go on strikes again this month between 24 and 28 February.

The BMA said that the government have “failed to meet the deadline to put an improved pay offer on the table,” but should a “credible offer” be made then the strikes can be called off.

BMA junior doctors’ committee co-chairs Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said in a statement: “We have made every effort to work with the government in finding a fair solution to this dispute whilst trying to avoid strike action.”

They added: “The glacial speed of progress with the government is frustrating and incomprehensible.

“The health secretary was quite clear in media interviews during our last action that she would meet us ‘in 20 minutes’ when no strikes were planned. She also made clear that she had a further offer to make.

“It turned out to be more than 20 days before we were offered a meeting with a minister. When we did it wasn’t with the health secretary, and there was no offer on the table.

“Time has been lost that could have been used to negotiate with us, or at least with the Treasury and the prime minister for the mandate to make a credible offer.

“From the very start of the industrial action, we have been clear that there is no need for strike action as long as substantial progress is made, and we remain willing to carry on talking and to cancel the forthcoming strikes if significant progress is made and a credible offer is put forward.”