The British Medical Association has led 11 strikes over almost two years, which has caused more than a million appointments and operations to be cancelled. The last walkout from 27 June to 2 July saw 61,989 procedures and consultations get axed. Union officials say their pay has been cut by more than a quarter over the last 15 years and have called for a 35% increase, although Labour has said it cannot afford to meet this demand.
Settling the industrial action has been Streeting’s number one priority since assuming office on Friday, and he said he was optimistic about the talks held yesterday. “This is an important reset moment in the relationship between junior doctors and their government,” Streeting said. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
More negotiations are expected to take place next week, Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairmen of the BMA’s Junior Doctors’ Committee have said. They confirmed that there are no plans for more strike action “at the moment” as talks progress. After the meeting, Dr Trivedi said: “It was a positive meeting, we were pleased to be able to meet the Secretary of State and his team so quickly after the General Election – it signifies the urgency that they’re placing on resolving this dispute which has already lasted 20 months.
We talked a lit.