Doctors walk out as five-day strike begins

MEDICS SHARE ANGER AND DISAPPOINTMENT AS PAY AND JOBS DISPUTE CONTINUES

- By SAM VOLPE Health reporter

BRITISH Medical Association resident doctors on the picket line in Newcastle shared anger and disappointment as their pay dispute with Government continues.

The doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - took to the picket line after overwhelmingly rejecting a deal presented by Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

That deal would have seen what the Government called an expansion of specialist training posts, but British Medical Association figures argued that was just a “repurposing” of existing jobs. That offer did not include extra pay.

Members rejected the offer, 83% voting against it on a turnout of 65%.

In Newcastle at the picket line outside of the Royal Victoria Infirmary, union members said they had been left disappointed by the Government's intransigence and upset by the tone of the Health Secretary, who has called them “moaning Minnies” and “juvenile delinquents” in recent weeks.

Dr Sheryl Higham, deputy chair of the BMA's Northern resident doctors' committee, said: “On the pay front, despite committing when he came into power to an attempt at a 'journey' of pay restoration, Wes Streeting proposed for next year a 2% pay cut. Clearly that's not a good faith journey towards pay restoration.”

Referring to the Health Secretary's recent language, she added: “I personally am really disappointed by some of the language used by the Health Secretary.