Resident doctors in England to strike next month

LONDON, May 27 (Reuters) - Resident doctors in England are set ​to ‌stage a four-day strike in June, according to ⁠their union, saying on Wednesday that ⁠newly appointed health minister James ​Murray had not improved a pay offer they had previously rejected.

The walkout is due to run from ​June ‌15 to June 19, the British Medical Association said, warning further strike dates could follow in July if there was no progress in ​talks.

Resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - ‌have carried out repeated strikes since early 2023 in a campaign focused on reversing ‌historic pay erosion and relieveing staffing pressures across the National Health Service.

In April, doctors staged a ​six-day strike after rejecting a government proposal, which ministers said ‌would not be improved upon. The union argued that deal failed to address years of below-inflation pay rises ⁠and ⁠workforce shortages.

The government has said ‌previous strike action has disrupted efforts to cut waiting lists and ​has ​argued its pay deals for resident ‌doctors were among the most generous in the public sector, a claim the union disputes. (Reporting by William James, writing by Sam Tabahriti)