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GPC backs junior doctors strike vote

GP leaders at the BMA have congratulated junior doctors for voting en masse in favour of strike action, in a motion carried unanimously at today’s GPC meeting.

The motion stated that ‘the GPC applauds the junior doctors for the overwhelming mandate they have given their leaders to fight for a safe and fair contract, to maintain the future workforce and keep patients safe’.

The ballot of the BMA’s 37,000 junior doctor members returned a 98% vote in favour of full strike action and 99.4% support for industrial action short of a strike, on a 76% turn-out.

The motion was proposed by Lancashire and Cumbria GPC representative Dr David Wrigley, along with London colleagues Dr Deborah Colvin and Dr Jackie Applebee.

Dr Wrigley told Pulse: ‘This is to show we’re standing together as one profession in support of our junior colleagues.

’Obviously it’s a massive vote in favour of strike action – it’s unprecedented really. It is a shame it has come to this but with the threat of the contract being imposed by Hunt, junior doctors had no option. And GPC is fully supportive of that.’

Dr Wrigley added that it was ‘astonishing’ that Jeremy Hunt had refused to enter into talks with the independent arbitration body Acas following the ballot result.

He said: ‘The only conclusion I can draw is he has no intention of coming to any agreement with the union and wants to impose his unsafe, unfair contract.’