Resident doctors cancel strike after new offer from government

Resident doctors in England have called off strikes which were scheduled to begin on Monday.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said the government had "made a new offer" at the last minute which would be put to its members for a vote.

The walkout had been due to run from 07:00 BST on Monday 15 June until 06:59 Friday 19 June. It would have been the 16th in the long-running dispute over pay.

Health Secretary James Murray said the new offer was a "chance to draw a line under the damaging disputes of recent years" while the BMA said it had held up its "end of the bargain" after the government shifted its position.

The two sides had been in talks for days - including on Saturday, just hours before the strike was called off.

It came too late to avoid some patient disruption over the coming week.

While NHS England said 95% of operations and appointments were due to go ahead, thousands have been postponed. Reinstating them on the original timetable will be a tough task for hospitals.

But there was relief on both sides.

Government sources said there was no extra money on the table for this year - but that the offer proposed faster increases next year in pay scales.

In addition, it promised 4,500 extra training places for newly qualified doctors and that doctors' exam fees would be covered.

Previously known as junior doctors, resident doctors have received pay rises worth 33% over the past four years, including a 3.5% increase this year.

It means starting salaries are now just over £40,000, with the most senior resident doctors getting £76,500 in basic pay. They can earn thousands more each year for things like working unsociable times and additional hours.

But the BMA argues they are still being paid a fifth less than they were in 2008 once inflation is taken into account.

Health Secretary James Murray said: "It is a positive and welcome development - especially for patients - that the BMA have called off these unnecessary strikes."

"The country simply cannot afford to increase the pay offer for this year. I am pleased that the BMA have recognised this, which has allowed us to make progress in other areas, such as training places and working conditions."

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said: "We have always been clear that no strikes needed to go ahead if we received an offer appropriate to put to our members.

"This should not have been left to the last moment, but we hold up our end of the bargain when the government shifts its position."

Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance, called the strike's suspension a "vital chance to reset the conversation" and urged both sides to strike a "fair, sustainable agreement".

It is understood the strike was originally called after Murray made it clear during a meeting in May that he was not willing to negotiate on pay, saying the union's demands were "unrealistic and unaffordable".

The BMA said he had showed "the same unwillingness to move" as his predecessor, the former health secretary Wes Streeting.

The union has called a series of strikes in England over pay and working conditions since 2023.

The most recent was a six-day walkout in April, after the BMA rejected an offer which included more training jobs, faster career progression and a plan to cover out-of-pocket expenses like exam fees.