JUNIOR doctors in England have announced new strike dates ahead of the general election.
The walkout will take place between 7am on Thursday, June 27 and 7am on Tuesday, July 2. The general election will happen on Thursday, July 4.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said it had been hoping for an offer from the government this month before the election was called.
It said junior doctors were “fed up and out of patience” and called on the Prime Minister to make “a concrete commitment to restore doctors’ pay”.
BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: “We made clear to the government that we would strike unless discussions ended in a credible pay offer.
“For more than 18 months we have been asking Rishi Sunak to put forward proposals to restore the pay junior doctors have lost over the past 15 years – equal to more than a quarter in real terms.
“When we entered mediation with government this month, we did so under the impression that we had a functioning government that would soon be making an offer.
“Clearly no offer is now forthcoming. Junior doctors are fed up and out of patience.
“Even at this late stage Mr Sunak has the opportunity to show that he cares about the NHS and its workers.
“It is finally time for him to make a concrete commitment to restore doctors’ pay.
“If during this campaign he makes such a public commitment that is acceptable to the BMA’s junior doctors committee, then no strikes need go ahead.”