JUNIOR doctors are out once again today in the second of a four-day strike action demanding a pay restoration in line with inflation.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents junior doctors, has been calling for a 35 per cent pay rise to make up for what it argues are 15 years of below-inflation wage increases.
The government has said that figure is unaffordable.
The strike has been in place from yesterday, Tuesday, April 11 and will be in place until Thursday, April 14.
Picket lines are in place outside Whiston Hospital.
The Department of Health and Social Care has said it is urging the BMA to “come to the table” with a “realistic” approach, which “balances fairly rewarding junior doctors for their hard work with meeting the Government's ambition to halve inflation”.
The BMA says it wants to see a “credible offer” from Health Secretary Steve Barclay.
BMA representative and Level 4 Junior Doctor Katerina Efstathiou, said: So we are all disappointed that there haven’t been more talks about the junior doctors and we are willing to strike again and again until we get what we feel we deserve.
“People forget doctors are not just for Covid. In the pandemic doctors and nurses died too and suddenly it’s like people don’t care about them and the fact they are burnt out and that doctor’s suicides are increasing.
“It’s really disappointing. We are understaffed, undervalued and unappreciated and feels really exhausting at the moment.
“An understaffed hospital happens because the conditions and pay are no longer good and lots are leaving the profession and that causes big domino effect where we are understaffed, new patients come in, there are no beds and hospitals are full, doctors are overworking and it’s not fair.
“We don’t want a pay rise, we want a pay restoration. Our pay has been cut since 2008 with a 26 per cent reduction. Everyone gets increase in their job but we’ve seen pay slips from consultants 20 years ago and it’s the same pay we get now.
“We don’t work for money but we need to pay bills, why am I working in the NHS with so much training and studying.
“I myself have worked for six years to be a doctor, I’ve been working as one now for four years yet this month I had to ask my parents for money to pay my bills. I’m 29 I work hard, that isn’t right and it’s just to pay bills, how embarrassing is that.
“Pret a manger and Amazon are good jobs but we train for many years and study and get in debt to save lives and people working for those companies earn more than junior doctors.
“Also we are not compromising patient safety. Consultants are around and what obviously cannot happen is elective clinics and surgeries which makes sense do to not enough people to help.
“But this will continue as there will not be enough people to help if there is more absences and doctors leaving to go to Australia and New Zealand to leave the NHS.
“In covid patients clapped every Thursday for the NHS, now we need support from the public to show the government the NHS is important for everyone.”
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