England doctors call off planned strike
The British Medical Association (BMA) announced on Saturday that a planned four-day strike by doctors based in England has been called off after the UK government made a last-minute new offer on pay, jobs and career progression.The workers’ strike, which was due to start at 7am on Monday and last until Friday morning, marked the 16th strike by resident doctors since 2023 in an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions within the National Health Service (NHS).
The government’s new proposal is addressed to members
The BMA said it would suspend the strike and put the government’s amended proposal to its members in a referendum.Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the British Medical Association’s Resident Doctors Committee, said: “We have always been clear that there is no need to go ahead with strikes if we have received a suitable offer to make to our members.”He added that doctors will decide whether the package adequately addresses long-standing concerns about eroding wages, training opportunities and workforce shortages.However, Fletcher warned that industrial action could resume as early as next month if members reject the deal.
What’s on offer?
According to union and government officials, the proposal does not include additional funding for this year’s wage adjustment beyond the already announced 3.5 percent increase.
Instead, it offers:
- Progress faster through future pay scales
- About 4,500 additional training positions for newly qualified doctors
- Covering professional examination fees
- Further salary increases could raise average wage growth to 6.6% by April 2027
- Government sources said all funding would come from existing NHS budgets.
The government hails the opportunity to achieve “industrial peace”
Health Minister James Murray welcomed the suspension of the strike, describing it as an opportunity to overcome years of turmoil. “It is a positive and welcome development that the BMA is calling off these unnecessary strikes,” Murray said.“The country simply cannot afford to increase this year’s wage offer. I am pleased that the BMA has recognized this, allowing us to make progress in other areas, such as training places and working conditions.”He added that the agreement represents a “good deal for resident doctors” and could help usher in a period of industry stability.
The checkout line isn’t over yet
Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, have received cumulative pay increases of more than 33 percent over the past four years, including a 3.5 percent increase this year.Despite this, the British Medical Association says doctors’ earnings are still 20 per cent lower in real terms than they were in 2008 after accounting for inflation.The dispute, which began under the previous Conservative government and continued under the Labor administration elected in 2024, has led to repeated disruptions to the NHS and the postponement of thousands of appointments and operations.While NHS England expects most services to continue as planned next week, hospitals are still expected to face challenges from cancellations that had already taken place before the now-aborted strike.