Resident doctors vote for strike action in row over jobs
Government urged to address junior doctors’ job security to avoid strikes
- First-year doctors in England have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over their jobs and pay.
- The British Medical Association (BMA) announced that 97 per cent of first-year resident doctors voted for industrial action, with a 65 per cent turnout.
- The ballot provides a mandate for action, the BMA said, citing a dispute over eroded pay and concerns about future employment.
- A BMA survey indicated that 34 per cent of resident doctors anticipate having no substantive employment by August 2025, a figure that rises to 52 per cent for FY2 doctors.
- No strikes are currently planned, but the BMA said that ongoing talks with the government must address both job security and the 21 per cent pay erosion since 2008 to avert future industrial action.