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Resident doctors striking over pay on a picket line outside Manchester Royal Infirmary(Image: Staff)<\/p>\nA five-day walkout by resident doctors in England got under way todayResident doctors striking over pay on a picket line outside Manchester Royal Infirmary(Image: Staff)<\/p>\n
Outside Manchester Royal Infirmary<\/a> a few dozen doctors in orange baseball caps and tabards are waving placards as passing drivers beep their horns in support.<\/p>\n ‘Overworked, underpaid, undervalued,’ reads one hand-drawn sign. ‘Pay restoration for doctors,’ demand several others<\/p>\n A five-day walkout<\/a> by resident doctors<\/a> in England got under way today, with members of the British Medical Association manning picket lines across the country. The BMA has argued that real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full ‘pay restoration’.<\/p>\n The union took out national newspaper adverts on Friday, saying it wanted to ‘make clear that while a newly qualified doctor\u2019s assistant is taking home over \u00a324 per hour, a newly qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on just \u00a318.62 per hour’.<\/p>\n Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Ross Nieuwoudt, co-chair of the BMA resident doctors committee, was among those manning the MRI picket line today. The 29-year-old, who has been a resident doctor for going on five years, said: “Morale among doctors is mixed. If we didn’t have hope that there could be change, we wouldn’t be here on strike at all, we would be voting with our feet and leaving the country.<\/p>\n “The truth is many doctors are leaving. 7,000 to 9,000 applied to leave the country last year – many have left and the majority of those don’t return. Unless something is done about pay and conditions, that is going to continue happening.<\/p>\n “There has been a huge amount of support coming by, people coming by to say they support us, reports of patients coming out of hospital to picket lines today to show support. I think support is there but I also fully sympathise with the patients that are worried or concerned or don’t support.<\/p>\n “No one wants to be on strike – I don’t want to – but what I do want is to feel valued and respected and not paid less than doctors were in 2008. All we need is for [Health and Social Care Secretary] Wes Streeting to come to us with a credible offer and a credible next step to restore our pay. Then it can stop right now – that’s all we’re asking for.”<\/p>\n Join the Manchester Evening News <\/strong>WhatsApp<\/strong> group <\/strong>HERE<\/a><\/p>\n