Government abused power as sole employer of junior doctors, says BMA chair

The government has abused its power as the sole employer of junior doctors, the BMA’s chair of council has said.

Speaking to The BMJ on the eve of the all-out strike by junior doctors on 26 April, Mark Porter said that during negotiations on the new contract for junior doctors the government had abused its position as the only employer in England that could provide specialist training.

“One of the reasons that the government is behaving the way it is, of course, [is] because the NHS is . . . a sole employer of junior doctors,” he said. “You can’t get legitimate junior doctor training anywhere else other than by going abroad.

“So, if you want to progress in specialist training you have to work for the …