Third group of hospital doctors to be balloted for industrial action in NI

The British Medical Association has announced specialist, staff grade, associate specialist and specialty doctors (SAS) in Northern Ireland are to be balloted for industrial action over pay.

The decision to move to a formal dispute and ballot members was taken following an indicative ballot where 86.5% of SAS doctors who responded said they were willing to take industrial action over their pay.

Dr Leanne Davison, Northern Ireland SAS committee chair, said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly but we cannot go on as we are. SAS doctors play a key role in the health service.

"We make up 12% of the medical and dental workforce, provide specialist patient care and can be found in senior clinical roles throughout the health service.

"However, our workplace and workload pressures have grown significantly over the past decade, yet our pay – which has dropped by nearly a third in real-terms since 2008 - no longer reflects that. This is causing a workforce crisis, which is why we are calling for full pay restoration back to 2008 levels.

She continued she hopes the change in the political situation here will help:

“With the return of devolution earlier this year, we were cautiously optimistic that the newly appointed Health Minister would act to address pay issues, but this has not happened. Currently the pay award for 2023-2024 has not yet been paid.

“All of this is simply unacceptable and only further adds to the sense that the role doctors play in the health service is simply not valued. This is a feeling shared by our consultant and junior colleagues who are already in industrial dispute over their own pay levels.

“It has left the committee with no choice but to proceed towards a formal full ballot for industrial action to ensure there is some movement towards meaningful negotiations for full pay restoration back to 2008 levels.”