UK junior driver doctors begin five-day strike after talks with Labour government collapse

Nigerians Online News Desk July 25, 2025

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(FILES) People hold British Medical Association (BMA) branded placards calling for better pay, as they stand on a picket line outside University College Hospital (UCH) in central London on April 12, 2023, during a strike by junior doctors -- physicians who are not senior specialists but who may still years of experience. - Hospital doctors in England will on July 13, 2023, stage the biggest walkout in the history of the UK's state-funded National Health Service, prompting fears for patient safety. The industrial action by junior doctors -- those below consultant level -- is due to begin at 7:00 am (0600 GMT) and last until 7:00 am on Tuesday. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)

Thousands of junior doctors across the United Kingdom began a five-day strike on Friday after pay negotiations with the Labour government failed to produce an agreement, intensifying pressure on the already strained National Health Service (NHS).

The British Medical Association (BMA), representing the doctors, cited a 21% real-term pay erosion over the past two decades as the reason for the action. “We’re not working 21 percent less hard, so why should our pay suffer?” said Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt, co-chairs of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, in a joint statement.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in an op-ed for The Times, urged doctors to reconsider the strike, warning that the decision would “mean everyone loses.” He said the walkout would severely impact patients and the NHS, which is still recovering from years of underfunding and pandemic-related strain. “Our NHS and your patients need you,” Starmer pleaded.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting also appealed to the doctors in The Telegraph, insisting the government “cannot afford to go further on pay this year,” referencing budgetary constraints.

The strike follows a series of similar actions by healthcare workers in 2023, which led to the cancellation of tens of thousands of medical appointments and delays in treatment across the UK. The previous Conservative administration had rejected the BMA’s demand for a 35% pay rise to match real-term inflation losses since 2008.

Although Labour has made progress in resolving disputes with other public sector workers including a controversial 15% multi-year deal with train drivers the standoff with junior doctors remains unresolved, raising concerns about prolonged disruption in healthcare services.