Resident doctors in England to be balloted over strike

RESIDENT doctors in England will be balloted on strike action over pay, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced.

- JANE KIRBY and STORM NEWTON

The union said three weeks had passed since it warned the UK Government of the “consequences of the absence of a reasonable, timely pay offer”.

The ballot will open on May 27 and closes on July 7.

Resident doctor is the new term for junior doctor, and refers to more than 50,000 qualified doctors working in GP practices and hospitals, from graduates to medics with a decade of experience.

Co-chairmen of the BMA's resident doctors’ committee, Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, said: “Today, we met with [Westminster Health Secretary] Wes Streeting and made clear that all he would have to do to avoid the need for a ballot was pledge to negotiate a fair deal that moved us toward pay restoration by 2027, in line with existing BMA policy.

“Unfortunately, he could not make this commitment.”

The BMA claims basic pay for resident doctors has fallen by 22.3% in real terms since 2008/2009.

The figure is based on Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, the measure of average changes in the price of goods and services used by most households.