Resident doctors strike cancelled as union backs latest pay offer

Credit: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

By Claudia Tanner

Planned strike action by resident doctors in Scotland next week has been called off to allow the BMA to put a fresh £133 million pay offer from the government to its members.

A national four-day walkout was scheduled to begin on Tuesday after doctors accused ministers of breaking promises over pay. It would have been the first time that resident doctors in Scotland had taken industrial action, unlike in the other three UK countries.

After further negotiations, a deal has been put on the table that would see pay increase by around 8% on average over the next two years, mirroring a similar offer accepted by other NHS staff.

BMA Scotland is now recommending that the new offer from health secretary Neil Gray is accepted.

Gray said cancellation of the strikes is “great news”, adding: “This avoids the cancelled operations and disruption to patient care that no-one, including resident doctors, wanted to see. Days of intensive and constructive talks have got us here and I thank the BMA, and my team, for getting us to this point.