UK doctors' strikes 2023: not only justified but, arguably, supererogatory

Doug McConnell, Darren Mann

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    4 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The 2023 doctors' strikes in the UK have elicited a familiar moral outcry that such strikes are morally wrong. We consider five arguments that might be thought to show doctors' strikes are morally impermissible but show that they all fail. The most we can conclude from such arguments is that doctors' strikes are morally permissible in a narrower range of circumstances than strikes in other sectors.

    We then outline two independent but compatible justifications for doctors' strikes, one that appeals to doctors' interests in fair pay and working conditions and one that appeals to doctors' duty to protect public health. We also suggest that doctors' strikes can be supererogatory when they aim to correct a government failing in its own duty to protect public health. Finally, we assess the 2023 UK doctors' strikes. We conclude that they are justified and there is a case for considering them supererogatory.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)152-156
    Number of pages5
    JournalJournal of Medical Ethics
    Volume50
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Mar 2024

    Keywords

    • Health Workforce

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