JUNIOR Doctors are to hold a mass demonstration in central London on Saturday October 17th against the imposition of new contracts cutting their pay by over 30% and forcing them to work 90 hours a week.
Junior doctors’ leaders stated yesterday: ‘Following on from the success of the first protest march in central London, organisers are pressing ahead to make a bigger, better, louder effort to make all our concerns about the junior doctor contract heard on Saturday October 17th!
‘Junior doctors, consultants, nurses, families, medical students and friends – all are invited to support the NHS we all care so much about. Details regards start location tbc shortly; aim is to end in Parliament Square.’
Around 1,000 junior doctors marched through Manchester city centre on Tuesday, demonstrating in St Peter’s Square – outside the Midland Hotel, where a meeting with NHS Employers was due to be held before it was postponed. Then, banners aloft, they marched through Albert Square to Piccadilly Gardens.
Bury doctor Andrew Collier, until recently co-chair of the BMA’s junior doctor committee, told the crowds: ‘We’re not going to take this, we will fight. We will tell Jeremy Hunt where to stick his contract when we meet him.’
Tuheen Huda, an intensive care specialist at Manchester Royal Infirmary said: ‘I’m angry at the systematic destruction of the NHS by this government. This change affects everyone – junior doctors, patients and the entire NHS.’
Last month, the BMA’s junior doctors committee rejected the government’s attempts to force through the new contracts and on Saturday, it was announced that young medics in England are to be balloted for industrial action.
NHS Employers were due to hold a series of open meetings across the country with junior doctors this week to give medics the chance to have their say on proposals. But the meetings were called off on Monday when BMA leaders were invited to meet Health Secretary Hunt.
Following Wednesday’s meeting with Hunt, Dr Johann Malawana, BMA junior doctors committee chair, said: ‘We have consistently been clear that junior doctors are not prepared to agree contract changes that would risk patients’ safety and doctors’ wellbeing.
‘The anger and frustration of doctors who attended the rally in London on Monday night were a clear demonstration of their determination. Until the government is willing to give the BMA the concrete assurances we require, we will continue with the action junior doctors are demanding.’
