Junior doctors in England have overwhelmingly voted to continue their strike action in an ongoing pay dispute. Approximately 98% of British Medical Association (BMA) members who participated in the vote supported further walkouts, with a turnout of 62%.
Since the first strike in March last year, junior doctors have walked out 10 times. The BMA is demanding a 35% pay increase, which the government has labeled as unreasonable. Currently, two-thirds of junior doctors are members of the BMA.
The recent vote extends the union’s strike mandate for another six months. BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Dr. Robert Laurenson and Dr. Vivek Trivedi criticized the government’s approach, urging Health Secretary Steve Barclay to present a new offer to avoid more strikes.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson expressed disappointment over the vote and called on the BMA to return to negotiations with more reasonable expectations. The spokesperson warned that further strikes could hinder progress in reducing the hospital backlog.
Junior doctors received an average pay rise of nearly 9% this financial year. Talks at the end of last year discussed an additional 3%, but negotiations broke down in early December without an agreement. The BMA claims that a 35% increase is necessary to address 15 years of below-inflation pay rises.
While junior doctors in Wales and Northern Ireland are also striking, consultants in England are currently voting on whether to accept a revised pay offer after pausing their own strike action. The ongoing strikes by healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, have led to the cancellation of over 1.4 million operations and appointments since December 2022.
Saffron Cordery of NHS Providers, which represents hospital managers, described the ballot result as “another worrying escalation” and urged both parties to find a solution to prevent further disruption to patient care.
