Doctors' Strike Looms as BMA Insists 29% Pay Rise is Needed

Strategic Insights -

The British Medical Association (BMA) has maintained its stance on a 29% pay rise for resident doctors, despite plans for a five-day strike in England starting on July 25. According to Emma Runswick, a resident doctor in Greater Manchester and deputy chair of the BMA council, the proposed strike is a result of years of pay cuts, with doctors being down even compared to 2020. The BMA has chosen to base its pay claim on the retail prices index (RPI), which the Office for National Statistics no longer considers official, rather than the consumer price inflation (CPI), which is official and tends to be lower.

Key Takeaways:

  • The BMA has defended its 29% pay rise claim for resident doctors, insisting it is necessary to restore their losses since 2008.
  • The strike is scheduled to start on July 25, with doctors voting to take the action in pursuit of the pay increase.
  • The BMA has chosen to base its pay claim on the retail prices index (RPI), which the Office for National Statistics no longer considers official, citing its use by the government for other purposes.
  • The union's leadership, including Tom Dolphin, has stated that it will not negotiate on the 29% figure, as it simply restores doctors' losses since 2008.
  • The BMA blames the strike on the health secretary, Wes Streeting, for not following up last year's 22% pay rise with an award this year to take account of the 29% claim.
  • The chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, has stated that public sector pay has to be affordable in the context of the broader economy, and that the government has reset the relationship with public sector workers.

Statistics:

  • The BMA is claiming a 29% pay increase for resident doctors.
  • The pay increase is designed to restore doctors' losses since 2008.
  • The strike is scheduled to start on July 25.
  • The Office for National Statistics no longer considers RPI an official measure of inflation.

Sources:

  • "Doctors' strike threatens to scupper the NHS's big turnaround -- this time, the BMA has overreached" by Polly Toynbee (The Guardian)
  • Interview with Emma Runswick, resident doctor and deputy chair of the BMA council, on BBC Radio 4's Today programme
  • Interview with Tom Dolphin, BMA chair, on the Guardian
  • Statement by Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury, in an interview.