Doctors set to vote on strike action after “below inflation” pay offer from Welsh Government

BMA Cymru Wales is set to ballot secondary care doctors on industrial action after negotiations over pay with the Welsh Government broke down last month. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

The decision to enter a formal dispute including seeking a ballot for strike action comes after the BMA rejected the Welsh Government’s latest below-inflation pay offer for consultants, junior doctors and SAS doctors of five per cent for the 23/24 financial year.

The union argues that the offer “is the lowest pay offer any government in the UK has offered and less than the DDRB, the pay review body for doctors and dentists, recommended earlier this year.”

Talks between the BMA and the Welsh Government broke down after Welsh Government “failed to provide a credible offer to address years of pay erosion”.

BMA Cymru Wales Chair Dr Iona Collins said: “Despite multiple attempts to warn the Welsh Government about the devastating impact of persistent cuts to pay against the backdrop of some of the worst working conditions in the UK, the best that Welsh Government can offer is further pay erosion.

“Today, we had 100% backing from the committees representing SAS, consultants and junior doctors to proceed with balloting for industrial action. Reflecting the strength of feeling amongst the profession.

“If we accept an offer of 5%, we accept that more doctors than ever will leave NHS Wales due to uncompetitive pay.

“We are now consulting members on our next steps which includes a ballot for industrial action for all secondary care doctors, we already know from a recent survey that 89% of junior doctors said they would be prepared to take industrial action to get a fairer deal.

The BMA’s Welsh committees warned that some of its members, junior doctors particularly, were working for basic pay of £13 per hour whilst saddled with massive university debts, and that some were struggling to pay for rent, heating and even food.

Newly elected Welsh junior doctor committee co-chairs Dr Oba Babs-Osibodu and Dr Peter Fahey said: “After a decade’s worth of real terms pay cuts, chronic staff shortages and persistent underfunding, enough is enough. With Welsh Government confirming that 5% is their final offer, we are left with no alternative.

“We stand at a pivotal crossroads where inaction is no longer an option. If we fail to stand up for ourselves, the opportunity to save our profession may slip through our grasp forever. We urge junior doctors in Wales to mobilise, join our pay restoration campaign and prepare for industrial action to fight for a better future.”

The Welsh consultants committee chair Dr Stephen Kelly added: “The latest offer from the Welsh Government is hugely concerning, we now have a situation where senior doctors are looking to retire early, reduce their hours or move out of the country and all the while patients get sicker and outcomes get worse.

“Our members regularly tell us about significant gaps in the workforce. Investing in staff retention should be the Welsh Government’s number one priority when looking to improve NHS services and so this latest offer is of grave concern to us.

Welsh SAS committee chair Dr Ali Nazir said: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors showed huge personal sacrifice in Wales with some paying the ultimate price. We have always gone above and beyond the call of duty and continue to do so.

“This offer has exposed the priorities of the Welsh Government where SAS doctors are not considered important at all.

“We as a group have been subjected to discrimination and harassment at work. The offer and its contents is another example of contempt for our services.

“We are demoralised and burnt out. The decision is upsetting for us because we want to serve our patients who are our top priority, but the attitude of the Welsh Government has forced us to take this step”

The three BMA committees have voted to ballot members on industrial action in the coming weeks, subject to the approval of the BMA’s UK council.

The ballots would include all consultant and SAS doctor members working in the Welsh NHS, and all junior doctor members working in Wales, including GP trainees.

If members vote in favour, then it would be the first national strike over pay by doctors in Wales.