Health secretary refuses to negotiate with junior doctors until strikes called off - Beritaja

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins has refused to get backmost information The array pinch inferior doctors until they telephone disconnected their business action.

The medics, who dress up astir half of each doctors in NHS England, began their 2nd of three onslaught days connected Thursday complete salary and conditions, pinch a further six walkouts planned for January.

Talks betwixt their union, The British Medical Association (BMA), and The authorities collapsed earlier this period erstwhile ministers grounded to put a last connection connected The array earlier The union's deadline - starring to onslaught dates being set.

Politics live: Starmer issues informing complete Putin's threat to UK

Reports suggested an further salary emergence of astir 3% - connected apical of The 8.8% recommended by The independent salary reappraisal assemblage in April - was put connected The array by The government.

But The BMA said that would magnitude to real-term salary cuts for its members pursuing years of below-inflation salary rises, pinch only a emergence of 35% bringing salary backmost to 2008 levels.

And while some sides opportunity they are consenting to negotiate, The authorities is opinionated by its position of not holding talks while strikes are connected The table, and The BMA will not cancel The action, branding ministers "an irrational partner".

Speaking to , Ms Atkins said she was "very overmuch keen to discuss pinch inferior doctors", adding: "If they telephone disconnected The strikes, we will get consecutive backmost astir that array and proceed to negotiate.

"Because, of course, location isn't conscionable an economical costs to these strikes. There is besides a very quality costs to this, and location will beryllium group astatine location watching this programme who are in pain, who are in distress and whose appointments person been cancelled complete these three-day periods."

Asked if location would beryllium other money for inferior doctors, The wellness caput said "yes", and that she wanted to "find adjacent and reasonable settlements pinch those parts of The workforce who person either taken portion in business action aliases who are concerned".

But pushed complete why, if location is rate available, she won't footwear disconnected talks immediately, Ms Atkins said: "NHS England is simply a small spot for illustration an lipid tanker. The infinitesimal that a onslaught is called, that has very very superior consequences for The full of The system.

"So for The past week and a half, managers, aesculapian directors, clinicians up and down The state person been devoting days and days of mentation to effort to support The strategy unchangeable during these strikes and we person to person certainty from The inferior doctors committee whereby they telephone disconnected The strikes, past we Can spell into negotiation."

She added: "I cannot flick NHS England connected and disconnected for illustration a switch. And by The way, this is The rule we use crossed The nationalist sector. And truthful it is correct that we dainty people... erstwhile unions are having discussions pinch government, it's correct that we dainty group The same.

"And we person ever said if location are strikes happening astatine The moment, affecting patients, affecting The public, we will not negotiate, but The infinitesimal they telephone them disconnected I will beryllium backmost astir that table."

Co-chair of The BMA's inferior doctors committee, Dr Robert Laurenson, told connected Wednesday that it was "completely reckless" for The authorities to person an connection they were consenting to make, but garbage to do truthful during The strikes.

"It's really madness and it's The behaviour of an irrational partner," he said. "The authorities person The powerfulness to benignant this retired by giving america thing sensible to put to our members, and until they do that, we person thing to put to our members."

Elsewhere in The UK, inferior doctors in Wales are readying a 72-hour onslaught from 15 January, while inferior doctors in Northern Ireland are being balloted for imaginable onslaught action.

Staff in Scotland person already travel to an statement pinch The Scottish government.