Sign in Subscribe
Physicians

Resident Doctors Demand 30% Pay Rise Amidst "Summer of Discontent"

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Resident doctors in the UK, previously known as junior doctors, are demanding a 30 per cent pay rise, with Labour facing a potentially "summer of discontent" as other workers, including teachers, nurses, and airport staff, consider joining strikes. The doctors' union, the British Medical Association (BMA), is urging its members to vote in favour of strikes to secure an even higher pay rise. The demand comes after resident doctors received an inflation-busting 5.4 per cent pay rise for this financial year, double what was initially budgeted for by the Government.

Key Takeaways:

  • Resident doctors are demanding a 30 per cent pay rise, which they claim is necessary to restore their pay to pre-2008 levels.
  • The British Medical Association (BMA) resident doctors' committee is calling on its members to vote in favour of strikes to secure an even higher pay rise.
  • The average starting salary for resident doctors has increased by almost £10,000 in three years to £38,800.
  • The pay rises for NHS staff, including nurses, have been lower than for resident doctors, with nurses receiving a 3.6 per cent rise for 2025-26.
  • Teaching unions have also refused to rule out strike action after criticising the Government for failing to fully fund teacher pay rises next year.
  • The National Education Union (NEU) has registered a dispute with the Government and will consider further action unless ministers promise to fully fund the pay offer.
  • Various airport employees are striking or considering striking at Gatwick, Heathrow, Glasgow, and Edinburgh airports.
  • The Labour Government is facing a potentially "summer of discontent" as other workers consider joining strikes.

Statistics:

  • The 5.4 per cent pay rise for resident doctors is double what was initially budgeted for by the Government this financial year.
  • The average starting salary for resident doctors has increased by almost £10,000 in three years to £38,800.
  • The pay rises for NHS staff, including nurses, have been lower than for resident doctors, with nurses receiving a 3.6 per cent rise for 2025-26.
  • The cost of the increase in pay and pensions for staff, not including doctors, would cost an extra £1 billion per year.
  • The NHS backlog still stands at 7.42 million.
  • Resident doctors staged 11 separate walkouts after entering a dispute with the Government in 2022 when they demanded a 30 per cent pay rise over five years.

Sources:

  • "Summer of discontent": Labour faces strike chaos as doctors demand 30% pay rise amid warnings of walkouts by teachers, nurses and airport staff (The Telegraph)
  • Labour "were warned that caving in to union demands last year for above-inflation pay rises, with no strings attached, risked fuelling further disruption" (The Telegraph)
  • "The result is that resident doctors have seen their pay increase by 28.9 per cent compared to three years ago" (The Telegraph)
  • The Department of Health said the cost of the increase in pay and pensions for staff, not including doctors, would cost an extra £1 billion per year (The Telegraph)
  • Resident doctors received an inflation-busting 5.4 per cent pay rise for this financial year, double what was initially budgeted for by the Government (The Telegraph)
  • The average starting salary for resident doctors has increased by almost £10,000 in three years to £38,800 (The Telegraph)

Read more