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Earlier, Israel declared a 48-hour state of emergency on August 25, after strikes in Lebanon
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UK junior doctors reach improved pay deal: Report
Their earnings could rise by about 20 per cent over two years, according to the media report
People hold placards calling for better pay for junior doctors, as they stand on a picket line outside St Thomas' Hospital in central London on January 3, 2024, on the first day of six days of strike action. — AFP file
Junior doctors in England have reached an improved pay deal with the British government, which could result in their earnings rising by about 20 per cent over two years, the Times newspaper reported on Monday.
Junior doctors have staged a series of strikes since early 2023 over demands for better pay, including the longest walkout in the 75-year history of the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) in January.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents around 50,000 junior doctors, has been seeking a 35 per cent pay rise, which it says is necessary to cover the impact of inflation over several years.
Britain's previous, Conservative government held several rounds of talks with the BMA, but failed to reach a breakthrough in pay negotiations and end the strikes.
The Times said the BMA's junior doctors committee had recommended an offer to its members, which would include a backdated pay rise of 4.05 per cent for 2023-24, on top of an existing 8.8 per cent-10.3 per cent increase.
For 2024-25, they will receive a further rise of six per cent, topped up by a consolidated 1,000 pounds ($1,285) payment, with the overall package over two years representing a 20 per cent rise, the report said.
Asked about the report, a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "We've said that we want to work constructively to bring these strikes to an end ... we're committed to finding a solution and resolving this dispute."
Strikes have heaped more pressure on an already overburdened NHS, leading to thousands of cancelled appointments and procedures. A list of patients waiting to begin hospital treatment has ballooned to more than seven million cases.
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