Senior hospital doctors in England are set to stage a two-day strike in November, the British Medical Association said on Monday, following a government recommendation of a below-inflation pay rise, Reuters reported from London on October 26.
Source: Reuters, Oct 26
The strike by consultants — the most senior doctors in the NHS — is due to take place on November 25 and 26, beginning at 6:59am on November 25, with only emergency cover provided, similar to how hospitals are staffed on Christmas Day, the BMA said, according to Reuters and The Guardian's reporting of the announcement.
Source: The Guardian via VidiaNews, Oct 26
What the BMA is asking for
The strike can be avoided if Britain's health minister commits to adequately funded formal negotiations on both pay and working conditions, the BMA said in a statement reported by Reuters. The union noted that senior doctors had seen a 25% cut to their pay in real terms over the last 17 years — a BMA figure — and, according to BBC reporting cited in coverage of the announcement, it is also seeking a shorter standard working week, higher out-of-hours pay and pension changes.
Source: Reuters, Oct 26; BBC via Naija Fact Finders, Oct 26
Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, co-chairs of the BMA's consultants committee, said consultants provide frontline, life-saving care and are central to running services and training the future workforce. 'Solving the pressures facing the health service will be impossible without valuing and retaining these doctors,' they said, accusing the government of ignoring concerns around consultants' wellbeing and workload, according to the BMA statement reported by PA Media.
Source: PA Media via Gold Radio, Oct 26
The government's response
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the BMA's decision was 'very disappointing' following what she called constructive discussions between her department, the NHS and the BMA. 'With colleagues across the NHS, I am determined to support staff and patients through the tough winter period,' she said, adding that she hoped the BMA would not take 'irresponsible action' at a crucial time, Reuters reported. The government had said in its evidence to the pay review body, published on October 19, that its plan for a 2.4% rise did not have to involve trade-offs against headline health commitments, Reuters reported.
Source: Reuters, Oct 26
What is solid
- Consultants in England will strike on November 25 and 26 with emergency-only cover, the BMA announced on Monday, October 26 (Reuters, The Guardian, PA Media)
- More than three-quarters of consultants who took part in the BMA ballot voted in favour of strike action, after a mandate was won in July (The Guardian)
What is only claimed
- The BMA's claim that consultants' pay has fallen 25% in real terms over 17 years — the union's figure, reported by Reuters and The Guardian
- How representative the ballot is: the government has noted the yes vote represented around one in five consultants employed by the NHS in England, as nearly half are not BMA members (BBC reporting, via coverage of the announcement)
Consultants in England last went on strike in 2023, but have been in dispute with the government since last year, Reuters reported. The planned walkout is the latest in more than a dozen rounds of industrial action across Britain's National Health Service since 2023 over pay and working conditions.
Source: Reuters, Oct 26