England doctors may take industrial action over pay hike

SENIOR doctors in England are likely to refuse doing overtime if the government does not improve its 1 per cent pay hike offer.

The fraternity could also initiate industrial action to push for their demand.

The threat emerged after the Royal College of Nursing said it will consider balloting over industrial action. It called for a 12.5 per cent pay rise this year.

NHS staff have also described the government pay offer as a “slap in the face”.

Besides, the British Medical Association (BMA) is planning to ask its members to stop paid and unpaid overtime if the pay offer is not closer to 4 per cent.

Industrial action by senior doctors and consultants to stop overtime would affect patient clinics and hospitals’ attempts to reduce waiting lists, the BMA said.

Dr Vishal Sharma, the deputy chair of the BMA consultants committee, said “Consultants are absolutely burned out and experiencing high levels of fatigue and stress at the moment – and this is on the back of consultants having the worst pay erosion of any group,” the Guardian reported.

If initiated, this would be the first industrial action by consultants since the 1970s apart from a day of action over pensions in 2012.

The threat is indicative of anger across the NHS workforce.

The Department of Health said the government was committed to a wage rise for NHS staff, including consultants, when pay increases elsewhere in the public sector had been paused.

The department recommended the 1 per cent pay hike to the independent panel that advises the government on NHS salaries. It would cover nearly all hospital staff, but not general practitioners and dentists.

The then health secretary, Matt Hancock, said in March that a decision to recommend the 1 per cent increase was prompted by an assessment of “what’s affordable as a nation” after the economic toll taken by the coronavirus crisis.