England doctors call off strike after government makes new offer

Resident doctors in England have suspended planned strike action following a last-minute offer from the government. The British Medical Association (BMA) announced Saturday that the proposed four-day walkout, set to begin Monday, has been called off. The new offer will be presented to BMA members in a referendum to determine if it is sufficient. Dr. Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA's resident doctors committee, emphasized that strikes are a final resort and that the BMA holds up its end when the government shifts its position. He stated that if members reject the offer, further escalated action will be planned for next month.

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We have always been clear that no strikes needed to go ahead if we received an offer appropriate to put to our members.

The offer reportedly includes standard 2016 resident doctor contract terms for all locally employed doctors and an average 6.6% pay increase, to be fully implemented by April 2027. This development comes after extensive negotiations and multiple rounds of strike action throughout 2023 and into the current year. The potential strike would have coincided with other pressures on the National Health Service, including warm weather and the World Cup.

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This should not have been left to the last moment, but we hold up our end of the bargain when the government shifts its position.

Health Secretary James Murray described the decision to call off the strikes as a "positive and welcome development – especially for patients." He noted that after a 28.9% pay rise for resident doctors over the past three years, the country cannot afford further increases for the current year. The BMA has consistently argued for fair pay and secure jobs to address issues like doctor unemployment and pay erosion.

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All we have asked for is a fair offer that secures enough jobs to tackle the madness of doctor unemployment and take steps to address the erosion of our pay.