Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
British Medical Association says members have agreed increase of 22.3pc on average over two years offered by Government
Junior doctors have accepted a 22 per cent pay rise – but threatened to strike again if they do not get more money.
The British Medical Association said its members had voted to accept the pay rise of 22.3 per cent on average over two years offered by the Government. Two-thirds of junior doctors voted to accept, the BMA said.
The agreement brings an end to strikes that led to cancelled appointments as junior medics demanded a 35 per cent pay rise that would restore their pay to 2008 levels.
Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, the junior doctors’ committee co-chairmen, suggested that fresh strikes could follow if the independent pay review body did not recommend that junior doctors’ pay be bought to 2008 levels over time.
They said: “It should never have taken so long to get here – but we have shown what can be accomplished with our determination and with a government willing to simply sit down and talk realistically about a path to pay restoration. One strike was one strike too many.
“This deal marks the end of 15 years of pay erosion, with the beginning of two years of modest above-inflation pay rises.”
Their statement added: “There is still a long way to go, with doctors remaining 20.8 per cent in real terms behind where we were in 2008. Mr Streeting [Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary] has acknowledged our pay has fallen behind and has talked about a journey to pay restoration.
“He believes the independent pay review body is the right vehicle for this, and if he is right then no doctor need strike over pay in future. However, in the event the pay review body disappoints, he needs to be prepared for the consequences.
“We thank all doctors who have seen us through to this point by standing on picket lines and fighting for their worth. The campaign is not over – but we, and they, can be proud of how far we have come.”
Mr Streeting said: “We inherited a broken NHS, the most devastating dispute in the health service’s history, and negotiations hadn’t taken place with the previous ministers since March. Things should never have been allowed to get this bad. That’s why I made ending the strikes a priority – and we negotiated an end to them in just three weeks.
“I am pleased that our offer has been accepted, ending the strikes ahead of looming winter pressures on the NHS. This marks the necessary first step in our mission to cut waiting lists, reform the broken health service, and make it fit for the future.”
The deal will see junior doctors’ pay rise by between 3.71 per cent and 5.05 per cent – averaging 4.05 per cent – on top of their existing pay award for 2023/24. This will be backdated to April last year.
Each part of the pay scale will also be uplifted by 6 per cent, plus £1,000, as recommended by the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration, with an effective date of April 1 2024.
Both rises mean a doctor starting foundation training in the NHS will see base pay increase to £36,600 from about £32,400. A full-time doctor entering speciality training will have a basic pay rise to £49,900 from about £43,900.