Doctors and allied health professionals walk off job en masse amid pay disputes

Victorian doctors, including those from major hospitals across the state, will walk off their jobs for four hours on Thursday afternoon to protest ongoing pay disputes with the government. Up to 10,000 medical professionals are expected to participate in this third strike within two months. The unions argue that current working conditions, such as 16-hour shifts and seven consecutive night shifts, are unsustainable and pose a threat to patient safety. While emergency departments will remain operational, elective surgeries may face disruptions. Doctors are demanding improvements including a 30% pay rise over four years, limits on shift duration to 12.5 hours and paid overtime.