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LONDON, U.K.: Junior doctors in England will walk off the job this week after last-ditch talks with the government failed to resolve a long-running pay dispute, their union confirmed.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said the five-day strike will begin at 0600 GMT on July 25. It cited a lack of progress in negotiations with health minister Wes Streeting and other officials.

Junior doctors, also known as resident doctors, have been resisting a 5.4 percent pay rise, arguing that it falls far short of the 29 percent they say is needed to restore earnings to 2008 levels. The planned strike was called after members voted to take industrial action in response to the government’s offer.

“What we have seen so far is a series of ‘no’s: no to movement on pay, no to student loan forgiveness, no to any credible move forward,” said BMA co-chairs Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt in a statement. “What we need to see are some ways forward, some kind of positive approach to get us out of this dispute.”

Talks in recent days between union representatives and the health department failed to produce any breakthrough.

Streeting, in an emailed statement, expressed disappointment over the BMA’s decision to proceed with the strike, saying the action would disrupt patient care and strain the National Health Service (NHS).

“The BMA would have lost nothing by taking up the offer to postpone strike action to negotiate a package that would improve the working lives of resident doctors,” he said.

Despite the breakdown in talks, the BMA said it remained open to dialogue. “We don’t accept we can’t talk about pay,” the co-chairs added.

The strike is expected to significantly impact hospitals across England, adding pressure to an already stretched NHS system and deepening one of the most contentious labor disputes in the UK’s healthcare sector in recent years.