Health
Hospital doctors in Northern Ireland vote to strike over pay
Key Points
Resident doctors and consultants in Northern Ireland have voted to go ahead with two 24 hour strikes later this month in a dispute over pay. A pay uplift of 3.5% for 2026-27 was recommended by the Doctors' and Dentists' Pay Review Body earlier this year. But the offer was rejected by the BMA in Northern Ireland, which then balloted its members on strike
Resident doctors and consultants in Northern Ireland have voted to go ahead with two 24 hour strikes later this month in a dispute over pay.A pay uplift of 3.5% for 2026-27 was recommended by the Doctors' and Dentists' Pay Review Body earlier this year.But the offer was rejected by the BMA in Northern Ireland, which then balloted its members on strike action.1 The organisation claims that Northern Irish doctors' real terms pay is significantly lower than 18 years ago.With the strikes now imminent, the BMA said that it was up to the minister of health in Northern Ireland to come forward with a “credible” pay offer.David Farren, chair of the BMA's Northern Ireland Consultants Committee, said, “This result sends a very clear message that concerns about pay erosion, workload, and the future of the profession are widely shared across the workforce, across all grades of hospital doctor.”Of the doctors who...