NHS chiefs fear nurses could copy doctors in launching new strikes

A looming fresh wave of strikes by resident doctors could encourage other NHS staff, including nurses, to take industrial action over pay, health service bosses fear.

- Denis Campbell

Resident doctors, formerly junior doctors, in England are threatening to stage stoppages until next January in pursuit of their demand for a 29% pay rise, after 90% voted in favour in a ballot on a 55% turnout.

The strikes will bring renewed disruption to the NHS, which has not faced a national strike by any staff since the last of the 11 walkouts by junior doctors ended on 2 July last year, just before Labour won power.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, and the British Medical Association (BMA) are at loggerheads over the strikes, which NHS chiefs warn could lead to hundreds of thousands of appointments and operations being cancelled.

Face-to-face talks yesterday left the gulf between them as wide as before. The BMA urged Streeting to "immediately negotiate a new pay deal" to replace the 5.4% rise he has awarded for 2025/26. However, he is adamant he will not reopen negotiations and stressed the government cannot afford to be more generous.

Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, the co-chairs of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said: "Doctors have spoken and spoken clearly. They won't accept that they are worth a fifth less than they were in 2008. Our pay may have declined but our will to fight remains strong."