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Junior doctors protest at Westminster against ‘unsafe’ and ‘unfair’ contracts

Thousands of junior doctors took to Downing Street yesterday (28 September) to protest against the recent government decision to impose a new contract on them despite widespread opposition to its changes.

It is estimated that two to five thousand protesters were outside Westminster Hall last night, just a few hours after NHS Employers postponed all of the meetings it was to hold with junior doctors over contract changes.

The peaceful demonstration held posters campaigning against the potential effects of the new contract – which they argue include unfair pay, unsafe working hours and a wider gender gap.

Others held up banners with lines of ‘Save our NHS’, ‘Tired doctors make mistakes’, ‘Not Safe, not fair’, and ‘Let’s renegotiate’.

There were also posters threatening that junior doctors will move abroad if the contract is implemented.

This follows last week’s warning from the BMA that there would be a mass exodus of trainee doctors resulting from the “outpouring of anger” over the government’s actions. The General Medical Council has already been getting almost 30 times more requests from doctors seeking certificates to work abroad than normal.

Yesterday, health secretary Jeremy Hunt wrote to the new chair of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, Dr Johann Malawana, to invite him to a meeting to discuss the proposed changes to their contracts.

As a result, NHS Employers cancelled the string of nationwide meetings it was set to host in an effort to engage with junior doctors about their updated contracts.

Its chief executive, Danny Mortimer, said: “Our preferred position has always been to negotiate with the BMA so we hope that today’s invitation will bring this closer.

“In view of this development, we feel it would be premature to hold our open meetings in which we intended to hear junior doctors’ views. We have postponed all of our meetings with immediate effect, including tonight’s London event at Central Hall, Westminster.”

But the BMA has already said that trainee doctors across England will be balloted over taking industrial action in response to the government’s plans.

The wave of dissent was brought on when NHS Employers said a revised contract would be imposed to all junior doctors regardless of their complaints.

The new contract, which will reclassify their normal working week to include Saturdays and working days up to 10pm, is perceived as a threat to patient and doctor safety.

Junior doctors called the negotiations “unacceptable” and said the contract would remove “vital” safeguards that discourage employers from making them work dangerously long hours.

(All images c. Steve Eason)