A Last Resort Support ebbs for BMA action

The health secretary, Wes Streeting, is hoping that a "constructive" meeting with leaders of the British Medical Association last week will avert five days of planned strikes by resident doctors in England.

- Jedidajah Otte

The public, meanwhile, is struggling to muster much sympathy for the cause: recent polling showed approval for resident doctor strikes had halved from 52% a year ago to 26%.

This was also reflected when people got in touch with the Guardian to share their views on the planned industrial action - among them resident doctors, NHS consultants, other health service staff and other public sector workers.

Because resident doctors were given a 22% salary increase over two years last summer, most respondents to a callout, including many resident doctors, expressed outrage over the BMA's demands for another 29% pay rise - spread over several years - to restore the real-terms value of their pay to what it was in 2008. But there were also responses from resident doctors who fully supported the strike plans.