Medical residents in the U.K. are planning a mass walkout next week, followed by two more 48-hour stoppages, putting strike efforts back in motion after a pause before Christmas to allow for further talks with the British government, according to Reuters.
The strike involves 98 percent of the more than 37,000 junior physicians who are part of the National Health Service, or more than half of the NHS physician workforce, according to the report. This will be the first major physician strike in the U.K. since 1975, according to the report.
At issue is a new employment contract proposed by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, which the physicians' union, the British Medical Association, says does not provide protections against dangerously long shifts, according to the report.
The British government says the contract is meant to ensure consistent care throughout the week, according to the report.
The BMA said the physicians are reinstating the strike because the December discussions with NHS failed to make progress on pay and working conditions. The groups have employed the mediation service Acas to settle the dispute, according to the report.
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