JUNIOR doctors in Northern Ireland have said they will stage further strike action after pay talks with the Department of Health broke down.
It will see two 48-hour walkouts from May 22-24, followed by a similar walkout from June 6-8. Junior doctors previously went on strike for the first time on March 6.
A Western Trust spokesperson said it was too early to provide any detail on what impact, if any, the strike action will have on the South West Area Hospital in Enniskillen.
“As per all other industrial action, each Trust will provide an update on possible impacts etc… but this will be much closer to the time,” the spokesperson confirmed.
NI Junior Doctor Committee (NIJDC) chair Dr Fiona Griffin said doctors had been left with “no choice”.
After a meeting with health officials, the NIJDC was “very disappointed” that there had been no progress on pay “including a commitment to work towards full pay restoration”.
“We must act on behalf of our members who voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking strike action for full pay restoration,” Dr Griffin said.
Dr Griffin said the government “must act now and prioritise staff pay” if the health service is to survive and retain doctors.
The British Medical Association has said previously that junior doctors’ salaries in Northern Ireland had fallen by 30 per cent over the past 15 years.
The current base starting salary for a junior doctor is about £26,000. However, this does not take into account weekend or out-of-hours work.
Junior doctors are qualified doctors who are still involved in clinical training and treat patients in hospital or general practice settings.
They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years’ experience as a hospital doctor or five years working to become a GP.
They are supervised by a senior doctor.
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