Thousands of doctors began a three-day strike in British hospitals on Monday to demand higher wages, kicking off a week of strikes.
In recent months, strikes have affected several sectors of the UK, with inflation exceeding 10%.
Railway workers, nurses, border police, teachers and other professionals went on strike to demand higher wages due to higher food and energy prices.
The government began negotiating with nurses, railroad workers, and other workers. However, Wednesday, the day the government presents its budget, could be one of the biggest strike days in years.
Doctors protested on Monday and members of the British Medical Association demonstrated outside hospitals.
According to the Doctors Syndicate, doctors have lost 26% of their salaries since 2008, when austerity was imposed on health services.
The union has launched a campaign claiming that waiters earn more than newly graduated doctors. The latter earns about 14 pounds (15.8 euros) per hour, according to the Bahrain Monetary Agency.
“I thought becoming a doctor would make me financially independent, but I’m not,” said Becky Bates, a recent medical graduate from Central England.
“With education loans and personal loans, I was left with over £100,000 in debt from medical school. Now I can’t even fix my car if something goes wrong with my paycheck,” he laments.
The National Health Service (NHS) is plunged into a deep crisis due to austerity policies and the consequences of the pandemic, and on February 6 it was hit by its biggest strike since its inception in 1948.
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