BMA urges Streeting to 'put aside hostile rhetoric' and secure future jobs and pay

The BMA is calling on health secretary Wes Streeting to put aside ‘hostile rhetoric’ and sit down with the union to secure future jobs and pay.

Wes Streeting © Fred Duval/Shutterstock

Wes Streeting © Fred Duval/Shutterstock

A five-day strike by resident doctors in England concluded yesterday morning (19 November) at 7:00 a.m.

Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA's resident doctors committee (RDC) said: ‘With the strike over, we now have a window of opportunity for talks. It is vital that the health secretary does not waste it.

‘Further strikes are in no one's interest. And a deal can be reached if the Government recognises the need to move on jobs and pay.'

He added: ‘For all the health secretary has spent the last week in the media talking up our differences, in reality our interests align very closely. We want doctors in work, and fair pay for work.

‘We have a chance, together, to fix decades of mismanagement of the medical workforce. We need him to put aside the hostile rhetoric and sit down with us - a multi-year pay deal and some common-sense changes to fix the jobs crisis can resolve this dispute for years to come.'

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