Senior doctors in England set to strike over pay offer in November

Senior hospital doctors in England ​are set to stage a ​two-day strike in November, ‌the British Medical ​Association said on Monday, following a government recommendation of a below-inflation pay rise. The strike, due to ‌take place on November 25 and 26, is the latest example of disputes over pay and working conditions across Britain's National Health Service which have ‌led to more than a dozen rounds of industrial action since 2023.

The ‌government's proposal of a 2.4% rise to the body that sets doctors' pay for the 2027/2028 financial year, is a "significant real-terms pay cut by all current measures of inflation," ⁠the ​BMA said. It ⁠noted that senior doctors had seen a 25% cut to their pay in real terms ⁠over the last 17 years. The strike can be avoided if Britain's health ​minister commits to adequately funded formal negotiations on both pay and working conditions, ⁠the BMA said in a statement.

The headline rate of CPI inflation in September was ⁠3.5%, the ​Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday. The government said in its evidence to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration, published ⁠on October 19, that its plan for a 2.4% rise did not have ⁠to make "trade ⁠offs against headline government health commitments".

It didn't immediately respond to a request to comment on Monday on the planned ‌strike action.