Junior doctor strike: Union's pay demands 'unrealistic', says Steve Barclay

The national representing inferior doctors appears "intent connected maintaining a militant stance" which "hampers superior talks implicit pay", the wellness caput has said.

Writing successful The Telegraph, Steve Barclay said wage demands by the British Medical Association (BMA) were "unrealistic".

The national is calling for a 35% wage emergence to marque up for 15 years of below-inflation wage rises.

Junior doctors successful England are acceptable to signifier a four-day onslaught from Tuesday.

The BMA inferior doctors committee says existent presumption wage has fallen by 26.1% erstwhile compared to pre-austerity levels of 2008.

Mr Barclay said helium could spot "no imaginable of getting into superior and constructive talks" unless the onslaught enactment was cancelled and the BMA changed its wage demands.

Junior doctors are beneath advisor level, and whitethorn person galore years acquisition successful a infirmary mounting oregon wide practice.

Mr Barclay said wage demands by inferior doctors were "out of measurement with wage settlements successful different parts of the nationalist sector" and claimed immoderate doctors could person an other £20,000 a twelvemonth if wage demands were met.

The wellness caput besides said helium valued "the important enactment these doctors bash each day" and helium wanted "to spot a just woody that increases their pay".

In his article, Mr Barclay wrote that the four-day onslaught "threatens to origin importantly much disruption than the erstwhile NHS walkouts we person seen recently".

"It is profoundly disappointing that this concern enactment has been timed by the BMA's inferior doctors committee to origin maximum disruption to some patients and different NHS staff," helium said.

"Not lone does the 96-hour walkout travel consecutive aft the Easter weekend, but it is besides longer than erstwhile walkouts. And it coincides with schoolhouse holidays, Ramadan and Passover."

He said portion contingency plans were being enactment successful place, "significant disruption successful the coming days is inevitable".

Health bosses person estimated that up to a 4th of a cardinal operations and appointments could beryllium postponed arsenic a result of the strike.

The BMA represents 173,000 members crossed each parts of the United Kingdom, and saw a caller surge successful rank owed to more inferior doctors joining.

Speaking to the BBC, lawman seat of the BMA inferior doctors committee Dr Mike Greenhalgh said falling wage had caused "a existent recruitment and retention crisis" successful the wellness service.

Strike enactment volition instrumentality spot from 07:00 BST connected Tuesday, lasting until 07:00 BST connected Saturday.

During past month's strike, hospitals drafted successful consultants to supply screen but it is estimated a 4th of them are connected permission owed to the Easter holidays.

The British Medical Association (BMA) says it volition not exempt immoderate services but that determination are plans to support patients, which could impact pulling inferior doctors disconnected the picket enactment if idiosyncratic hospitals study lives are successful contiguous danger.

The Department of Health and Social Care has said the authorities is moving with NHS England to enactment contingency plans successful spot to support diligent information during the strike.

"The NHS volition prioritise resources to support exigency treatment, captious care, maternity and neonatal care, and trauma," a spokesperson said.

Ahead of the strikes which statesman connected Tuesday, Mr Barclay had been urged to conscionable national representatives implicit the slope vacation play to effort to resoluteness the issue.

Speaking previously, Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-director of the inferior doctors' committee astatine the BMA, said the national wanted to beryllium definite Mr Barclay "is superior astir wage erosion" - but added helium is yet to enactment a credible connection connected the table.

"All we're asking for is simply a credible connection that shows america he's serious, that we tin commencement a way of negotiations to effort to code the real-terms wage cut," helium said.

Are you a inferior doc with a presumption connected the strike? Are you a diligent affected? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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