Britain | Not on call

Britain’s doctors are on strike, again

Is their trade union the country’s most powerful?

Junior doctors hold up placards at a protest during the second day of strike action in Manchester, UK.
Strong medicineImage: Getty Images

Aslef, THE train drivers’ union, can stop the trains running. The Communication Workers Union, which represents postal workers, can withhold parcels and letters. Yet their power is dwarfed by that of the British Medical Association (bma), the trade union of which more than two-thirds of British doctors are members. In pursuit of better pay, it has the power to withdraw vital medical care.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Not too posh to picket”

From the July 15th 2023 edition

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