Consultant doctors in England to strike for 48 hours over pay

Consultant doctors in England are set to stage a 48 hour strike next month in an ongoing dispute over pay and pensions, BBC News reported. The two day walkout will start on 25 November at 06:59 GMT. During the action, senior doctors will provide emergency cover only. [1][2]

The industrial action follows a ballot by the British Medical Association in which 76 percent of participating consultants voted in favour of striking, according to BBC News. Turnout in the vote was just above the 50 percent threshold required by law. [1]

Talks between the union and the government took place over the past month without resolving the dispute, BBC News reported. Consultants, who are the most senior doctors in the National Health Service, received a 3.5 percent pay increase this year. However, the union argues that real pay has fallen by 25 percent over the past 17 years when inflation is factored in. [1]

The planned walkout comes amid a wider series of labour disputes across various sectors of the United Kingdom economy that began in 2022. Workers in multiple industries have taken strike action over pay and conditions as inflation has increased. [3]