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 relieving staffing pressures across the National Health Service.

"We are hearing the same tired ‌line: vagueness on new jobs and no further money on the table," said Jack Fletcher, chair of the union's resident doctor ​committee.

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.

Murray said the BMA pay demands ‌were "unrealistic, unaffordable, and unsustainable" in light of previous large increases.

"These are simply not grounds ​for yet ​more strike action, which patients do not support, ‌puts further pressure on other staff and costs the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds," he said. (Reporting by William James, writing by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Nick Zieminski)