Resident doctors in England have called off strike action after receiving a new offer from the government. Members of the group, previously referred to as junior doctors, were set to stage a four-day walkout from 7am on Monday (June 15) – the 16th round of strike action since 2023. But the British Medical Association (BMA) said on Saturday that a last-minute offer had been made, which will be put to members.
BMA Statement
The chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC), Dr Jack Fletcher, said: “We have always been clear that no strikes needed to go ahead if we received an offer appropriate to put to our members. This should not have been left to the last moment, but we hold up our end of the bargain when the government shifts its position. All we have asked for is a fair offer that secures enough jobs to tackle the madness of doctor unemployment and take steps to address the erosion of our pay. Tens of thousands of frontline doctors will now vote in a referendum on whether this offer is sufficient. We will always negotiate in good faith and strikes are a last resort that we will only use in the face of complete government intransigence. When government moves, so do we. Doctors will now have their say. If they say no to this offer, we will have to continue our plans for further escalated action across next month.”
Health Secretary Response
The Health Secretary James Murray, who took over after Labour leadership hopeful Wes Streeting's resignation last month, said resident doctors had realised that the country 'simply cannot afford to increase the pay offer for this year.' He added: “It is a positive and welcome development – especially for patients – that the BMA have called off these unnecessary strikes. I am pleased that the BMA have understood they have a Secretary of State and a government that wants to work with them for the benefit of both resident doctors and patients. After a 28.9 percent pay rise for resident doctors over the last three years, the country simply cannot afford to increase the pay offer for this year. I am pleased that the BMA have recognised this, which has allowed us to make progress in other areas, such as training places and working conditions. I want to thank staff across the NHS for the way they have consistently risen to the challenges posed by repeated strike action. I hope they will be encouraged by today’s step forward, as will patients and the taxpayer, who can be reassured that all the necessary funding is coming from existing budgets. The government will now work intensively with the BMA over the coming days to finalise the details of the deal before it is put to their members. In line with the terms agreed today, the BMA Resident Doctors Committee, whose leadership have worked constructively and intensively with my officials to agree this deal, must now recommend this deal to their members. This is a good deal for resident doctors. It boosts their pay, improves their career prospects, and improves their working lives. It represents the chance to draw a line under the damaging disputes of recent years and to usher in a new period of industrial peace, where the government and resident doctors work together to make the NHS fit for the future.”
