Doctors strike called off in Scotland as union backs latest pay deal

Resident doctors in Scotland have called off a planned four-day strike to secure their salaries.

They were due to take part in the first national strike by NHS workers on Tuesday, after accusing ministers of reneging on pay promises.

But after further negotiations, the British Medical Association union is to call off the strike and propose a new pay offer to its members – and recommend that it be accepted.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said it was “great news” which would avoid disruption to patient care.

Resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – make up around 42% of all doctors in Scotland and range from newly qualified doctors to those with 10 years or more of experience.

Members will now consider an offer for a 4.25% pay increase in 2025-26, followed by a 3.75% increase in 2026-27.

The Scottish Government’s proposed pay deal matches that already agreed to by nurses and other healthcare workers, and was already rejected by the BMA last year.

However, this now comes with a separate set of contract reforms.

The offer would see the base salary of a newly qualified doctor increase from £34,500 to £37,345 for 2026/27 and for a doctor with 10 years’ experience from £71,549 to £77,387.

The BMA said the additional contractual investment package would move all resident doctors in Scotland up the pay scale, meaning the combined offer equates to an average end-of-year pay increase for 2025/26 of 9.9% and for 2026/27 of 9.4%.

Resident doctors would receive different levels of raises at different stages, depending on where they were in their careers.

Gray said the deal was reached after “days of intensive and constructive talks” between the government and the union.

He added that the total investment in the package – covering both pay and contract reform over a two-year period – will amount to £133m.

He said: “This avoids canceled operations and disruption to patient care that no one, including resident doctors, wanted to see. »

Dr Chris Smith, who chairs BMA Scotland’s resident doctors committee, said the strike was a “last resort” for the union and the new offer would ensure future improvements for staff.

He said: “Our view is that the substantial investment proposed continues the progress made in reversing the salary erosion experienced by resident doctors since 2008.

“Bringing new funding to our contract means that if accepted, this deal will deliver improvements for the doctors of tomorrow.

“This will provide much-needed impetus for the establishment of a new contract for resident doctors, which was a key part of the deal reached with the Scottish Government in 2023.”

Smith added that the deal would deliver “real progress” towards righting the “historic wrong” of staff pay erosion over the past two decades.

The BMA previously said the deal would have been the lowest in the UK and below that recommended by the independent pay review body.

However, Smith told BBC Scotland’s Lunchtime Live that the contract reform package would now bring additional investment into resident doctors’ pay scales, putting more money in doctors’ pockets.

He added: “There have been a lot of compromises, but it goes back to the principles of the 2023 deal which worked for the NHS, for doctors and for patients.”

Scotland is the only region in the UK to have avoided a strike by NHS workers.

A previous proposed strike in Scotland in the summer of 2023 was called off at the last minute after a deal was reached.

An agreement was truly in everyone’s interest, particularly that of patients, who would now avoid any interruption of care.

The doctors really did not want to strike, having spoken of industrial action as a last resort.

And the Scottish Government will present its draft budget next Tuesday. Ministers really didn’t want to do this with NHS staff protesting outside Parliament.

So, after intense discussions over the Christmas period, an agreement was reached, which seems to mainly revolve around the sweetener of contract reform.

This means an additional investment of £130m in staff – a significant sum as the government attempts to bring the public sector wage bill under control.

But the NHS is a top priority for politicians as well as patients, and next week’s Budget will undoubtedly see further investment in key health services.