Thousands of senior doctors in England started a 48-hour walkout on Thursday to demand better pay and conditions, resulting in hospitals being paralyzed and only emergency care being available.
This disruption is part of a series of strikes by public sector workers in response to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the U.K. It follows a five-day strike by junior doctors, which was the longest in the history of the National Health Service.
Many operations and appointments have been canceled, and health officials anticipate that this round of strikes will have the biggest impact yet, as the majority of work in hospitals cannot be carried out without the supervision of senior doctors.
During the strike, senior doctors, also known as consultants, will only be on call for urgent cases such as critical cancer care until Saturday morning.
The Conservative government has offered a 6% pay increase to the doctors, but the British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors’ union, described this offer as “derisory.” The BMA stated that doctors’ take-home pay has decreased by over a third in real terms over the past 14 years and accused authorities of refusing to negotiate on pay.
Dr. Vishal Sharma, a union executive, expressed that many doctors feel “undervalued and overworked.”
“Consultants will be on the picket lines today because we are angry and at rock bottom. We never wanted to be forced into taking this huge step,” Sharma said. “Ministers have done absolutely nothing to stop this action from taking place.”
Psychiatrist Polly Christodoulou, who joined the picket line outside a hospital in south London, mentioned that many of her colleagues have left for the private sector or other countries like Australia due to the much better wages offered.
“A lot of us have trained for over 15 years to get to where we are, and that is not being valued,” she said. “I want to be able to stay and support the NHS, but it is becoming increasingly difficult.”
The BMA claims that senior doctors on a 2003 contract earn a starting salary of around £88,300 ($113,453), which increases to approximately £119,100 after about 20 years. Doctors argue that their wages have fallen behind those of other highly-trained professionals such as lawyers.
In recent months, nurses, junior doctors, and emergency healthcare workers have all participated in public sector strikes to demand better pay to cope with rising food, energy, and housing costs. Despite a June inflation rate of 7.9% (down from earlier in the year), the U.K.’s inflation is still significantly higher compared to other Group of Seven economies.
Prior to the strikes, the National Health Service was already under immense pressure, facing workforce shortages, large backlogs, and funding gaps.
Hospital executives have warned that the labor disputes could result in billions of pounds in costs and called for unions and officials to reach a deal soon to end the deadlock.
Meanwhile, rail workers also went on strike on Thursday as part of an ongoing pay dispute, causing travel disruption for commuters and travelers.
The strikes coincided with the passing of a law on Thursday aimed at reducing the impact of strikes. The law allows officials to impose minimum service levels during industrial action by essential workers, including paramedics, firefighters, and rail workers.
This law faced strong opposition from unions and opposition parties, who argue that it undermines the fundamental right to strike for many workers.