Junior doctors poised to strike after Government ‘ignored’ demands for pay bumps

Junior doctors will ballot for strike action over ‘ignored’ demands for pay, the British Medical Association has announced.

The union said three weeks had passed since it warned the Government of the ‘consequences of the absence of a reasonable, timely pay offer’.

The ballot will open on May 27 and closes on July 7.

Resident doctor is the new term for junior doctor and refers to more than 50,000 qualified doctors working in GP practices and hospitals, from graduates to medics with a decade of experience.

The union met today with Health Secretary Wes Streeting to discuss their calls for a pay rise, but were unsuccesful in their pleas.

Co-chairs of BMA’s resident doctors’ committee, Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, said: ‘We made clear that all he would have to do to avoid the need for a ballot was pledge to negotiate a fair deal that moved us toward pay restoration by 2027, in line with existing BMA policy.

‘Unfortunately, he could not make this commitment.

‘Resident doctors are not going to be ignored. We are going to stand up for our value to the NHS and to patients, and we are going to fight to stay on the path set out for us by last year’s deal: restoration of our pay to the level of 2008.

‘No doctor today is worth less than they were 17 years ago, and that is precisely what doctors voting ‘yes’ to industrial action will be telling the Government.

‘We don’t want to be in the situation where we have to fight over and over again for our worth – we would rather get on with our careers and our work caring for our patients.’