Resident Doctors in England to Stage Four-Day Strike in June

M. m. on Friday 19 June. The British Medical Association said the action will be the 16th strike since March 2023 and warned of another stoppage in July if demands are not met. The four-day strike will force hospitals to reschedule tens of thousands of diagnostic tests, outpatient appointments and operations. The BMA represents about 55,000 of the 75,000 resident doctors covered by the dispute.

The union is seeking a pay rise to restore what it says is a 26 percent real-terms loss in salary value since 2008-09. It also wants a large increase in specialty training places to ease a jobs bottleneck. Starting salaries now exceed £40,000 and the most senior resident doctors receive £76,500 in basic pay, plus additional earnings for unsocial hours.

The BMA maintains that pay remains a fifth lower than in 2008 after inflation.

Murray told BMA representatives on 27 May that further substantial pay increases this year are unrealistic, unaffordable and unsustainable. 4 percent rise over the past four years, the largest in the public sector. " — James Murray, 27 May 2026 (BBC News) Murray said the walkout will cost the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds and place extra pressure on other staff.

Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said the change in health secretary had not altered the government’s stance. He accused ministers of offering vagueness on new jobs and no additional money on pay.

“We had hoped that a change in leadership at the Department of Health and Social Care would lead to a change in approach. ”

Fletcher said the union had been prepared to give Murray time to settle into the role before completing work left by his predecessor. In March the government offered more training posts, faster career progression and coverage of exam fees, but the BMA rejected the package. Members then staged a six-day strike in April.