Junior doctors: striking to win

  • Health unions and TUC must coordinate action and call a national demo
Rob Williams, Chair, National Shop Stewards Network

The junior doctors and their union the BMA are in the front line of attacks on the NHS. After two one-day strikes in January and February, the latest stage of their campaign of industrial action was a 48-hour strike on 9-10 March. It will continue with two further 48-hour stoppages in April.

These actions have been called in response to the Tories’ intention to impose new contracts in August. The message of junior doctors to Tory health minister Jeremy Hunt is a defiant one – “This isn’t over yet…not by a long way!”

This poses a massive responsibility on to the rest of the trade union movement, particularly other NHS unions, to ensure that the junior doctors are not left to fight alone.

The Tories – weak and divided, especially by the EU referendum – can be defeated over these contracts.

Every strike day has seen tremendous support from the public and fellow health workers. Picket lines have been inundated with the banners of local union branches and trades councils. But it’s not enough. The support must be mobilised into a mass movement.

The National Shop Stewards Network has been in contact with a number of junior doctors and many of our supporters have invited them to speak at their union meetings to help build solidarity. In consultation with them, we have drawn up a model motion that can be discussed and hopefully passed throughout the union movement.

It calls on the TUC and the unions to “urgently convene a special TUC general council with an invitation to the BMA and the other health unions.

This meeting should discuss organising an emergency Saturday national demonstration on the theme of ‘Defending the NHS, supporting the junior doctors’ and coordinating industrial action against Tory health service cuts and their effect on health workers, such as the attack on NHS bursaries.”

Please move our motion in your union and trades council to help build the mass action that can defeat the Tories.

See www.shopstewards.net for model motion