NI resident doctors to stage 24-hour strike over pay

Resident doctors across Northern Ireland are set to stage a 24-hour strike, beginning at 7 am on July 1, 2026, and concluding at 6:59 am the following day. The walkout encompasses doctors in hospitals and GP surgeries, who are demanding full restoration of their pay.

“

Pay erosion for resident doctors still sits at up to 20% since 2008 and we lag behind our colleagues in the rest of the UK and in the south of Ireland on pay.

This industrial action comes on the heels of similar strikes by consultants and specialist doctors last week. The British Medical Association (BMA), representing doctors, stated that all medical professionals in Northern Ireland are currently in dispute with the Department of Health. General practitioners are also in disagreement over the imposed 2025/26 General Medical Services (GMS) contract.

Dr. Steven Montgomery, chair of the BMA's Northern Ireland resident doctors committee, expressed that striking has become their only recourse. "Pay erosion for resident doctors still sits at up to 20% since 2008, and we lag behind our colleagues in the rest of the UK and in the south of Ireland on pay," he explained. He also pointed to increasing patient numbers without adequate medical staff, leading younger doctors to seek better pay and conditions elsewhere.

“

The health minister can bury his head in the sand about this problem all he wants but the numbers speak for themselves: there are not enough doctors to treat our growing, ageing population as our waiting list crisis demonstrates.

Dr. Montgomery described the situation as a "perfect storm" for the health service, questioning the state of a system where all medical branches are in dispute with the government. He urged Health Minister Mike Nesbitt to engage in "meaningful negotiations" towards pay restoration, calling the situation "unacceptable" for frontline healthcare staff who are "once again forced into the position of taking strike action to be heard."

“

engage in meaningful negotiations towards pay restoration

The BMA highlighted that over half of penultimate and final-year medical students in Northern Ireland are considering leaving the country due to poor pay. They emphasized that these doctors and students represent the future of the health service, crucial for meeting patient demands and implementing new care models. The union joined colleagues in calling for government intervention to resolve the dispute.

“

it is unacceptable that doctors, frontline health care staff, have been once again forced into the position of taking strike action to be heard.