Junior doctors in England to strike in election run-up

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LONDON (Reuters) – Junior doctors in England will strike for five days immediately before Britain’s July 4 national election as part of a long-running dispute over pay, the British Medical Association (BMA) said on Wednesday.

The BMA said junior doctors – qualified physicians who work under the guidance of senior doctors and represent a large share of the medical profession – will stage a full walkout from June 27 to early on July 2.

BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Robert Laurenson and Vivek Trivedi  said they expected no new offer from the government despite mediation this month and they called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to meet their demands for 25% pay rise.

“If during this campaign he makes such a public commitment that is acceptable to the BMA’s junior doctors committee, then no strikes need go ahead,” they said.

The government has agreed new pay deals in recent months with other healthcare workers hit by a surge in inflation which has only recently abated.