Thousands of Doctors in England Go on Strike Due to Salaries

Thousands of doctors working within the state-supported healthcare system in England have gone on strike today, Friday, for 5 days due to salaries, while the government warns that it will disrupt patient care across the country.

Resident doctors, who are at the beginning of their medical careers and form the backbone of care in hospitals and clinics, participated in a protest outside hospitals after talks with the government collapsed.

The National Health Service said that emergency departments will remain open and that hospitals and clinics will try to provide care for as many scheduled patients as possible.

Doctors are seeking a salary increase to compensate for what their union (the British Medical Association) says is a 20% salary cut after inflation since 2008.

Dr. Melissa Ryan and Dr. Ross Newood, co-chairs of the Resident Doctors Committee at the union, said, "Salary erosion has reached a point where a junior doctor's pay could exceed a resident doctor's pay by more than 30%."