Splinter group of rebel doctors ‘plots BMA coup in bid to force it to call for a strike demanding pay increase’
- Disgruntled junior doctors are organising online to ‘take over the BMA’
- The medics, angered by a proposed 2% pay increase, want major strike action
- The plot is being organised on the anonymous online message board Reddit
- The BMA said 96% of its junior doctors were unhappy with the pay offer
Junior doctors are plotting to ‘take over the British Medical Association’ in an effort to launch a series of crippling strikes.
Anonymous trainee doctors are reportedly organising on Reddit to seek election to senior positions in the BMA in order to steer the organisation to major strike actions.
Junior doctors are angry over their pay and conditions as well as the amount of student debt they face after completing six years at medical school.
Under the plan, pro-strike candidates will be nominated to stand for election with a concerted effort to gain support for radical action.
According to The Times, the plan is been organised on online messaging boards such as Reddit.
Junior doctors complain that their pay has fallen by 30 per cent during the past decade’s austerity measures.
According to a post on Reddit: ‘Can we take over the BMA? Serious question’.
A group of anonymous junior doctors are using online message board Reddit in an effort to organise possible strike action
The medics want to secure election to the British Medical Association in an effort to call strike action in opposition the Government’s planned two per cent pay offer
The post continued: ‘Given that current leadership clearly does not want to strike, is there anything we can actually do about it? I’m starting to think we can. We clearly have numbers and we want the same thing. I think if we translated that into rejoining to vote in elections, and used our numbers, we could purge these losers.
‘Elections for reps seem to be won by low double-digit numbers of votes. We have the numbers on this subreddit to put people up for election, and elect them. The careerists don’t have the social media presence we do. We can cut them right out of the picture if we organise ourselves. I quite like the idea of taking over the BMA. These d******* aren’t ready for us.’
Anonymous medics claimed that as few as ten votes can swing an election at local level which could have major impacts nationally.
Other posters on the forum suggested: ‘Our demands are simply fair pay, proper training protections, and post-grad exams paid for. Full strike. Maximum disruption. Maximum damage.’
New Health Secretary Sajid Javid is also facing the prospect of industrial action by GPs following the row over face-to-face consultations.
The BMA plans to ballot its members on industrial action after it rejected Mr Javid’s plans for general practice.
Family doctors complain the number of GPs in the NHS has fallen by six per cent since 2006 leading to a 10 per cent increase in the doctor-patient ratio.
Commenting on the speculation about a potential strike action, Dr Sarah Hallett and Dr Mike Kemp, co-chairs of the BMA’s junior doctors committee said: ‘The junior doctor committee elections will be taking place in the autumn of 2022 and any member is welcome to put themselves forward to represent their colleagues.
‘We regularly seek views and opinions from our membership and members are welcome to contact us if they have concerns, suggestions or alternative approaches to the work we are doing.
‘We recently surveyed more than 6,000 BMA junior doctor members on their thoughts on the pay uplift for this year with nearly all respondents (96.6%) saying that the scheduled 2 per cent was completely unacceptable or inadequate.
‘Our members were dismayed at not being included in this year’s pay award for NHS staff and said they felt devalued as a result.
‘Earlier this month we therefore agreed to intensify pay campaigning, while retaining the option to ballot for industrial action later if change is not forthcoming. We remain determined that doctors are rewarded fairly for the work that they do.’
Advertisement