The Health Secretary has urged doctors to call off their “damaging strike” as he ruled out bringing in mediators until union leaders agree to fresh talks.
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Unless progress is made, junior doctors will provide emergency cover only from 8am on 1 December 2015 to 8am 2 December 2015, and there will be full strike action on 8 December 2015 and 16 December 2015 between 8am and 5pm.
Dr Mark Porter, the BMA council chairman, said: “We regret the inevitable disruption that this will cause but it is the government’s adamant insistence on imposing a contract that is unsafe for patients in the future, and unfair for doctors now and in the future, that has brought us to this point”.
The BMA earlier said it wants to avoid industrial action despite its members voting overwhelmingly in favour of strikes.
The new contract is set to be imposed from next summer on doctors working up to consultant level.
It said it had contacted the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) for mediation with Mr Hunt and NHS employers.
It included a promise of an 11 per cent rise in basic pay, but the BMA said this was misleading as it was offset by curbs to other elements of the pay package, including unsociable hours payments.
“We have been and continue to be in close discussions with junior doctors representatives from the BMA about their action”.
“That independent body reported and the BMA still did not do anything”.
Tories plan to reclassify “unsocial” hours, for which doctors can claim extra pay, as part of the standard working week.
The dispute centres around Mr Hunt’s botched blueprint for a “seven-day NHS”.
Under the new plans, a higher rate would run from 10pm to 7am Monday to Friday, and from 7pm on Saturday evenings – a concession on the previous 10pm.
He argues that, under the new deal, just 1% of doctors would lose pay and those would be limited to doctors working too many hours already.
“The Government has repeatedly appealed to the BMA to return to the negotiating table and that offer is still open”.
“There has been a fundamental breakdown in trust between the Health Secretary and junior doctors, which is bad for the NHS and bad for patients”.
The BMA say that the proposed action has been announced well in advance to allow employers to put in place plans to minimise disruption to staff and patients. “Negotiations should be returned to as soon as possible and it would help if everyone said so”. Junior doctors are giving a strong signal, shouting with our loudest voice, but the government isn’t listening. “That’s why we want to secure a fair deal for them”.
“There are no preconditions beyond what the secretary has said about his right to ensure a manifesto commitment is delivered”.
Simon Fleming, 32, an orthopaedic registrar at BHRUT, said he would be supportive of any strike action mandated by the BMA.
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Mr Burt said: “Because the last time an independent body looked at this matter, which is what the Secretary of State did after negotiations broke down before it went to an independent body, the Doctors and Dentists Review Board, the BMA took part in that, they made representations to it. I think that’s pretty important work he should be doing”.
