Junior doctors in Wales to be balloted for strike action
BMA members asked to back proposed 72-hour walkout
Last updated 5th Oct 2023
Junior doctors in Wales are to be balloted for strike action following a breakdown in talks between BMA Cymru Wales and the Welsh Government over pay.
The union says if successful, it will lead to a 72-hour walkout.
The decision to open the ballot in November comes following what the union has described as the Welsh Government’s 'failure' to make any effort to restore junior doctors’ pay.
BMA Cymru Wales said it had been left with no choice but to enter a trade dispute and ballot for strike action.
The ballot, which will be open to all BMA junior doctor members in Wales, is set to run for six weeks closing on 18th December.
The co-chairs of the BMA’s Welsh junior doctor committee, Dr Oba Babs-Osibodu and Dr Peter Fahey said:
“The Welsh Government’s failure to value junior doctors and reverse years of pay erosion has forced us to enter a trade dispute.
“Junior doctors are embarking upon their careers shouldering significant student debts and facing increasing financial pressures.
“It is hardly surprising that the latest sub-inflationary offer from Welsh Government has made junior doctors feel angry, unvalued, and unwilling to continue with the current trajectory.
“A junior doctor is not worth up to a third less today than they were in 2008, and yet this is the amount of pay erosion that we are facing. The continued erosion of our pay coupled with the extraordinary pressures now facing the NHS has resulted in a perfect storm.
“Many of our colleagues are questioning whether to remain in the NHS, looking further afield for opportunities where their expertise and dedication are properly valued.
“This is not a decision we have made lightly. No doctor wants to take industrial action, but we have been given no choice. Doctors are already voting with their feet and leaving the NHS”
The union said over the last 15 years, junior doctors in Wales have experienced a pay cut of 29.6% in real terms.
They recently received a pay offer this year worth 5%.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “It is disappointing that doctors are balloting for industrial action. We understand the strength of feeling among doctors about the 5% pay offer and the pressures all public sector workers are under due to the cost-of-living crisis.
“While we would wish to address the pay restoration ambitions of our vital medical staff, our offer is at the limits of the finances available to us and reflects the position reached with the other health unions for this year. Without additional funding from the UK Government, we are not in a position to currently offer any more. We will continue to press them to pass on the funding necessary for full and fair pay rises for public sector workers.
“We remain committed to working in social partnership with the British Medical Association and are available for further talks at any stage.”