Keir Starmer has criticized resident doctors for rejecting a Government pay offer without consulting their members through a vote. The Prime Minister has given the British Medical Association’s resident doctors committee a 48-hour deadline to reconsider the proposal, which included a potential pay increase of up to 7.1% this year.
In addition to the pay rise, the deal involved changes to pay progression, reimbursement for Royal College exams, and the creation of 4,500 new specialty training positions over three years. The Prime Minister emphasized that 1,000 of these positions were set to open for applications soon, warning that they would be lost if the deal was not voted on by Thursday. However, the BMA accused the Government of altering the terms of the agreement at the last minute.
Keir Starmer argued that rejecting the deal would negatively impact resident doctors, as they would miss out on improved pay and support. He urged the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee to reconsider their decision. The Prime Minister stressed that failing to vote on the deal would have consequences for patients. The upcoming strike, scheduled from April 7 to April 13, would mark the 15th round of strikes by resident doctors in England since 2023.
Dr. Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA resident doctors committee, highlighted that the Government had made unexpected changes to the pay offer, leading to the current impasse. Meanwhile, the BMA announced that senior doctors in England would be balloted for potential industrial action from May 11 to July 6 as tensions with the Government escalated.
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