HCSA junior doctors in England will stage a fresh 72-hour strike in June following the government’s failure to table a meaningful offer in the ongoing dispute over pay.

Junior doctors in HCSA - the hospital doctors’ union will walk out from 7am on Wednesday 14th June to 7am Saturday 17th June.

The decision follows the refusal of the government to alter its position on long-term pay erosion which has seen junior doctors’ pay fall by more than 26 percent since 2008.

HCSA President Dr Naru Narayanan said: “It is with no pleasure that we announce these fresh strike dates, but junior doctors have been left with no other option.

“The government remains totally unwilling to address the dangerous impact of severe pay erosion on staffing levels and retention. It has stuck doggedly to a single unrealistic pay offer of 5 percent for 2023-4, which reflects a cavalier and deeply disturbing attitude given the workforce crisis that our NHS faces.

“The roots of this dispute are fundamentally about ensuring the continuity of patient care on a day-to-day basis. If the government does not see the light I’m afraid we are going to enter a long-drawn-out period of industrial action. But the alternative is accepting an exodus of junior doctors which the NHS cannot withstand.

“The government’s stance not only fails to answer the clear call from junior doctors, who have voted by a vast majority for industrial action on pay, but is creating further anger on the ground. We urge the Secretary of State to shift position and engage seriously on this issue.”