Hunt Urges Striking England Doctors to Bring Down Pay Demands
- Chancellor warns inflationary pay rises would hurt growth
- Government wants to end industrial action ahead of local polls
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The UK government is ready to engage with junior doctors if they lower their opening pay demands, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said, although it will refuse any deal that entrenches inflation and hurts growth.
Junior doctors are staging four days of industrial action and demanding a 35% pay increase they say is needed to make up for about 15 years of below-inflation increases. The move comes amid signs that public sector disruption is taking a toll on growth, with data published Thursday showing the economy stalled unexpectedly in February as strikes crippled services.