LONDON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Resident doctors in England will consider whether a new offer from the government on working conditions is enough for them to call off a strike planned for later this month,
Doctors in England Weigh New Offer to End Strikes
By William James
LONDON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Resident doctors in England will consider whether a new offer from the government on working conditions is enough for them to call off a strike planned for later this month, the British Medical Association union said on Wednesday.
Currently the union's resident doctors - qualified physicians who make up nearly half of the medical workforce - plan to stage a five-day strike starting on December 17 as part of a series of walkouts over pay and working conditions.
The BMA said the government had "put forward an offer on ending the jobs crisis for doctors in England". This included measures to improve access to training posts and fund mandatory exam fees. The offer did not include new pay terms.
The BMA says resident doctors are still suffering from years of pay erosion, but the government has repeatedly said it is unable to improve on a 5.4% pay increase announced earlier this year.
BMA resident doctors' committee chair Jack Fletcher said:
"If members believe this is enough to call off strike action then we will hold a referendum to end the dispute. But if they give us a clear message that it is not, the government will have to go further to end industrial action."
Health minister Wes Streeting, who has been strongly critical of the union's decision to strike at a time when the healthcare system is stretched due to winter-related illnesses, appealed to doctors to accept the deal.
"While I'm frustrated with the BMA, and I think they're playing games now with patients' lives and the lives of other doctors who will be forced to cover strikes, that doesn't alter the fact that what we've put forward is a good deal for doctors," he said.
(Reporting by William JamesEditing by David Milliken and Gareth Jones)
