England's Junior Doctors End Six-Day Strike Over Pay Dispute and Resume Work

# Doctors in England Return to Work After Six-Day Strike Doctors in England returned to work on Monday after a six-day strike. The strike was the fifth round of industrial action by resident doctors since 2023. Health minister Karin Smyth told Sky News that banning doctors from striking is not what the government wants to do.

She admitted that banning doctors from striking is always a possibility. Smyth said that the government wants to work with doctors and does not want banning doctors from striking to happen. Smyth added that in a world that is always a possibility for banning doctors from striking, but it is not what the government wants to do very firmly.

It is against the law for police officers to take industrial action under any circumstances. Smyth accused striking doctors of damaging improvement to the NHS. She said that doctors' strikes are really regrettable and they do cost the service money.

Government and BMA Positions on Pay Dispute The BMA has accused the government of going back on an offer made last month to resolve the dispute.

The BMA is demanding pay is restored to 2008 levels under retail price index measures of inflation. The health secretary said that meeting the demands of resident doctors and the BMA would cost £3bn a year but could rise to £30bn a year if other health staff were offered the same pay rises.

Wes Streeting argued that if everyone was demanding the same then the government would be breaking this country.

Wes Streeting said there was agreement between the government and doctors about many of the issues in the NHS but there isn’t an acknowledgement from the BMA that the £300 million lost to six days of strike action is money that could have been spent elsewhere.

Health Secretary on NHS Performance Wes Streeting said that the NHS is improving despite resident doctors’ strikes but performance would have been better and there would have been more money to invest if the BMA hadn’t undertaken the strike action.

Dr Jack Fletcher accused the health secretary of once again choosing hostile rhetoric in the media and outside of the negotiating room over getting round the table and speaking to the BMA directly. Fletcher said the BMA does not recognise the sums that the health secretary is using to cost pay restoration nor have they said it would be done all in one go.

Dr Jack Fletcher said the BMA is keen to do a deal and looks forward to discussing this with the government as soon as possible.