A planned four-day strike by resident doctors in England has been called off after the government made a new offer at the last minute, the British Medical Association said on Saturday. The walkout had been due to start at 07:00 BST on Monday 15 June and last until Friday 19 June, in what would have been the 16th strike in the long-running dispute over pay.
The BMA said the offer would be put to its members for a vote. Health Secretary James Murray described it as a "chance to draw a line under the damaging disputes of recent years," while Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said the union had held up its "end of the bargain" after the government shifted its position.
“Resident doctors in England call off four-day strike after government makes new offer, BMA announces.”
The two sides had been in talks for days, including on Saturday, just hours before the strike was called off. But the late decision came too soon to avoid some patient disruption: while NHS England said 95% of operations and appointments were due to go ahead, thousands have been postponed. Hospitals now face a tough task reinstating them on the original timetable.
Government sources said there was no extra money for this year, but the offer proposed faster increases next year in pay scales. It also promised 4,500 extra training places for newly qualified doctors and that doctors' exam fees would be covered. Resident doctors have received pay rises worth 33% over the past four years, including a 3.5% increase this year, meaning starting salaries are now just over £40,000, with the most senior getting £76,500 in basic pay. But the BMA argues they are still being paid a fifth less than they were in 2008 once inflation is taken into account.
Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance, called the suspension a "vital chance to reset the conversation" and urged both sides to strike a "fair, sustainable agreement." Murray said: "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." Fletcher added: "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."