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Scotland is set to witness its first-ever national strike by NHS resident doctors amid a pay dispute. The British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland union claims that the Scottish government has failed to honor a previous pledge to restore doctors’ pay to 2008 levels. Following a ballot where 92% of voting members supported strike action, industrial action is scheduled to begin at 7:00 am on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, continuing until 7:00 am on Saturday, 17 January 2026. Health Secretary Neil Gray expressed his disappointment with the vote and announced his willingness to meet with the BMA Scotland chairman to seek resolution.
BMA Scotland emphasized that negotiations could still lead to a settlement and urged the government to return to talks with a realistic proposal. Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, represent nearly half of Scotland’s medical workforce and include physicians ranging from those newly qualified to those with up to a decade of experience. The union’s concern centers on the government’s recent pay offer, which they view as inadequate compared to previous commitments.
Health Secretary Neil Gray highlighted that resident doctors received a 4.25% pay rise in the current year under a two-year agreement, identical to increases granted to nurses and other NHS staff. He pointed out that this translates to a cumulative 35% pay increase over four years by 2027. Gray stressed the importance of focusing on reducing waiting times, improving NHS access, and ensuring positive patient outcomes, warning that strike action jeopardizes these efforts. Notably, Scotland had so far avoided strike actions that affected other regions of the UK.
The last moment call-off of a strike in summer 2023 followed a deal that included a government commitment to make “credible progress” toward pay restoration over the next three years. In contrast, strikes by resident doctors in England have already caused significant cancellations of operations and procedures, with the ongoing five-day strike being sharply criticized by the UK Prime Minister as “dangerous and utterly irresponsible.” Such industrial action in Scotland threatens to undermine the government’s pledge to eliminate long waits for treatments by March 2026, placing added strain on the healthcare system, particularly in an election year.
Dr. Chris Smith, chair of the BMA resident doctors committee, voiced strong discontent, stating, “The result of this ballot shows that resident doctors in Scotland are united in anger over the Scottish government breaking the deal they agreed over pay just two years ago.” He underscored that while strike action was not the preferred outcome, the government’s failure to uphold its commitments left the medical workforce feeling compelled to hold them accountable. According to Dr. Smith, the Scottish government has imposed a pay increase which represents the lowest average across the UK, rather than making genuine progress on pay restoration as agreed.
Dr. Smith further explained that the 2023 agreement had been functioning well for both the doctors and the health service, but the government’s abandonment of the deal has escalated tensions, risking disruptive strike action. He also noted that there remains a chance to avoid strikes if the government fully honors the existing agreement. Highlighting the broader implications, Dr. Smith remarked this dispute is not solely about doctors’ remuneration but is vital for the future of the NHS in Scotland, which depends on retaining and nurturing resident doctors to become the next generation of general practitioners, specialists, and consultants.
The current offer from the Scottish government involves a two-year pay increase of 4.25% for 2025/26 and 3.75% for 2026/27, matching rises accepted earlier this year by other NHS workers such as nurses and paramedics. However, BMA Scotland criticizes this as the lowest pay uplift in the UK and below the recommendations of the independent pay review body. Under this proposal, the basic salary for a newly qualified doctor would increase from £34,500 to £37,345 by 2026/27, while a doctor with ten years’ experience would see a rise from £71,549 to £77,387. It is worth noting that these physicians often work unsocial hours, including nights and weekends, for which they receive additional payments
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