Doctors in England begin six-day strike after rejecting government's pay, workforce dealResident Doctors' Strike and Government ResponseBy Sam TabahritiStrike Commencement and DurationLONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - Resident doctors in England started a six-day walkout on Tuesday after rejecting an offer the government said would not get better, with the British Medical Association saying it failed to reverse years of pay erosion and staffing pressures. Pay Uplift and NegotiationsSpeaking on Times Radio on Tuesday, Streeting said resident doctors had secured the largest pay uplift of any public sector group under the Labour government, but had rejected the offer without putting forward a counter proposal. BMA's Stance and ConcernsThe BMA represents about 55,000 of the resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - who make up nearly half of the medical workforce. Long-Term Pay Erosion and Industrial ActionBMA DENOUNCES LONG-TERM PAY EROSIONSince early 2023 the BMA has held more than a dozen rounds of industrial action over pay, strike action that successive governments has blamed for frustrating efforts to reduce waiting lists in the state-run service. Union's Critique of Government OfferThe union says the government's offer on pay and workforce does not go far enough to address long-standing concerns, including historical below-inflation pay increases.

Source: The Guardian April 07, 2026 07:10 UTC