The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced that junior and specialist doctors in England will meet government officials for talks in an effort to circumvent further strikes due to a pay dispute. The negotiations aim to conclude the long-standing disagreement between the parties. The BMA has orchestrated coordinated action in which junior doctors and consultants participated. In early October, the two groups jointly staged three days of strike action in support of their claims.
BMA members who work as specialist doctors voted in an indicative ballot in favour of industrial action by a significant margin. If no progress is made in resolving the dispute regarding pay by 6 November, the BMA will conduct a formal strike ballot. The government has stated that pay will not be a topic of discussion within any talks regarding the dispute.
The strikes that have occurred toward the end of the year mean that over one million appointments and treatments, including some cancer care, were delayed. The majority of specialist doctors work at hospitals alongside junior doctors and consultants, but some also work in the community. With winter approaching, many healthcare officials fear further industrial action will create potential chaos.
A spokesman for the Department of Health stated that the government was pleased the BMA had agreed to talks over the issue of the dispute with junior doctors. The spokesperson further indicated that the government was pleased that the BMA agreed to delay moving to a formal ballot of specialist doctors to provide time for talks. The spokesperson restated the government’s position that headline pay would not be on the table
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