Junior doctors ‘offered 22 per cent pay rise’ to end strikes
Junior doctors in England are understood to have been offered a 22 per cent pay rise over two years in a bid to resolve their long-running pay dispute with the Government.
The Times is reporting that the British Medical Association’s (BMA) junior doctors committee has recommended an offer to members.
It is understood to include a backdated pay rise of 4.05 per cent for 2023/24, on top of an existing increase of between 8.8 per cent and 10.3 per cent.
A further pay rise of six per cent for 2024/25 will also be topped up with a consolidated £1,000 payment, which is equivalent to a rise of between seven per cent and nine per cent.
The overall package represents a pay rise of about 22 per cent, according to The Times, which initially reported 20 per cent. The BMA confirmed to CityAM the figure is set to be 22.3 per cent over 2 years.
Downing Street did not confirm or deny the reports.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “As we’ve said before, we’re committed to working to find a solution, resolving this dispute, but I can’t get into detailed running commentary on negotiations.
“We’ve been honest with the public and the sector about the economic circumstances we face.
“But the Government is determined to do the hard work necessary to finally bring these strikes to an end.”
Ministers entered formal negotiations with the BMA’s junior doctors’ committee days ago.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting had previously described talks as “a crucial step forward, as we work to end this dispute and change the way junior doctors are treated in the NHS”.
The official added the industrial action has been “hugely damaging both to patients and to the impact on the waiting lists and we’ve said we’re committed to finding a solution and resolving this dispute”.
Junior doctors in England have taken industrial action 11 times in the past 20 months.
Their last strike – which took place from June 27 to July 2, just days before the general election – affected 61,989 appointments, procedures and operations, according to NHS England.
Industrial action by a number of different NHS staff groups since December 2022 has led to the postponement of 1.5 million appointments, procedures and operations at an estimated cost to the NHS of more than £3 billion.
Meanwhile, cleaners, security guards and other workers employed by outsourcing giant ISS at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero voted to accept an improved pay offer, also.
The 60 Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members will get an inflation-busting 4.125% rise as in addition to gaining the same leave entitlements for holidays and sick pay as those who are insourced.
After the reported agreement was confirmed today, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“I am delighted that we have agreed an offer that finally paves the way to ending industrial action which has caused untold misery to patients and staff.
“Everyone agrees we can’t have more disruption, more cancelled appointments, which is why my priority from day one has been to end this dispute.
“This has been a tough negotiation, but we have worked rapidly to reach a fair offer. I have been honest about the terrible economic inheritance left for this government, while the junior doctors’ committee has been clear that nothing less than the offer on the table will bring these strikes to an end.
“This is a fair offer. Fair to junior doctors, fair to patients and fair to the NHS. It also represents an opportunity to truly reset relationships so we can begin working together to bring waiting lists down and fix the broken NHS.”
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “This significant win wouldn’t have occurred without the threat of sustained strike action from a group of members prepared to stand up for themselves.
“While we welcome the win and the move to parity on leave, we demand the government goes further and brings all outsourced workers back in-house on the same terms and conditions as their colleagues.”
JDC co-chairs Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: “We are announcing that almost two years into our dispute we have received an offer from the Government that our committee thinks merits consideration by our membership. It should never have taken so long to get here, but this offer shows what can be achieved when both parties enter negotiations in a constructive spirit.
“This offer does not go all the way to restoring the pay lost by junior doctors over the last decade and a half. However, we have always said that we did not expect to get there in one go. This offer, combined with the recommendation of the pay review body today, changes the current trajectory of our pay, even though there is further to go yet.
“We are recommending that members vote for the deal. We believe that this is the best offer available at this moment in time and that the inclusion of the additional reforms make the package a good step forward for our profession, acknowledging there is still more work to be done in the future.
“We recognise the speed and effort put into this round of negotiations which we believe shows the beginning of a Government that is learning to treat doctors with more respect. There is a catastrophic NHS workforce crisis that needs addressing and they at least appear to recognise that fixing pay must be part of the solution.
“The last 20 months have shown what happens when a Government refuses to engage with the reality of real-terms pay cuts. That has to stop now. This deal is a start: it means we can begin to restore our value and return to a strong workforce and high quality patient care. There is still a way to go but this Government has shown it can learn from mistakes of the past. We recommend members vote yes.”
Storm Newton and Sophie Wingate, PA