Junior doctors on the picket line outside the Royal Victoria Hospital in west Belfast during a 48-hour strike in Northern Ireland over pay and staff retention on 22 May The Public and Commercial Services union argues that the new rotas would force 250 members out of their jobs, while the Home Office asserts that these changes will improve service and align working arrangements with other ports.
“The Home Office has said it is ‘open to discuss’ a resolution but it only responded to our request for a meeting after we threatened further action. Junior doctors are qualified doctors who are still involved in clinical training, according to the British Medical Association . Patients may be treated by a junior doctor in a hospital or general practice setting.
The Northern Ireland Junior Doctors Committee says there has been no progress on its key demands, despite “some progress on non-pay issues” since a meeting with Northern Ireland’s health minister Robin Swann following the first round of industrial action in March.