Thousands of junior doctors protest in London

LONDON

Thousands of junior doctors who began a four-day strike Tuesday in England held a demonstration in London over an ongoing pay dispute.

"Fair pay," "Strike to save the NHS," "Unfair pay keeps doctors away" were among the signs carried by demonstrators who chanted slogans against government policies at Trafalgar Square.

The 96-hour industrial action is the "second round" of strike action by the British Medical Association (BMA) after the union went on strike for 72 hours March 11 - 13.

An estimated 350,000 appointments, including operations, will be canceled because of the strike, according to media reports.

The union said in late March that the decision to hold a new strike action in April was taken after "the highest-ever number of junior doctors" voted for a walkout.

"The Government continues to refuse to grant full pay restoration. Junior doctors have no option but to take action," it said.

While workloads and waiting lists are at record highs, the pay for junior doctors has been cut by more than 25% since 2008, according to the BMA.

National Health Service Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor told Sky News on Monday that the strike is having a "catastrophic impact" on NHS waiting lists.