Northern Ireland Junior Doctors Ballot To Strike For Better Pay And Conditions
Junior doctors in Northern Ireland have been balloted on industrial action, the BMA has announced.
Junior doctor representatives have met with the Permanent Secretary for Health, Peter May.
They outlined their concerns about pay and the unacceptable workplace pressures junior doctors are under while training and delivering patient care.
At the meeting they asked the Permanent Secretary for assurances that junior doctors would receive this year’s pay uplift of 6% along with an above inflation award.
And also that the Department would work with them to achieve full pay restoration for junior doctors.
The Permanent Secretary was unable to give them these assurances.
Therefore, the Northern Ireland Junior Doctors Committee (NIJDC) has now balloted junior doctors in Northern Ireland for strike action.
Over the summer junior doctors were asked their views on issues affecting the workforce, including their views on pay.
Nearly 900 junior doctors working in Northern Ireland outlined in their responses the widespread levels of frustration and anger with pay and workplace conditions.
And over 90% of respondents saying they were willing to take industrial action to achieve better pay.
NI Junior Doctor Committee (NIJDC) committee chair, Dr Fiona Griffin, said: “This is not a decision that has been taken lightly.
“We had hoped the Permanent Secretary would agree to commit to immediate action around pay.
“In doing so he would then begin to address the ongoing pay erosion and poor terms and conditions for junior doctors. Regrettably that was not the case.
“What we heard from our survey results, alongside the feedback we received from the hundreds of junior doctors who attended our workplace listening sessions earlier in the year, meant the decision to proceed towards a ballot was clear-cut for the committee.
“There has been significant pay erosion for junior doctors over the past decade.
“So we the only UK nation to not have received the DDRB-recommended pay uplift of 6%.
“A junior doctor working here can also expect to be paid less than our colleagues working elsewhere in the UK and in other countries.”
Dr Griffin outlined how “chronic rota gaps, consistently rising workload pressures and the subsequent impact on training opportunities needed for career progression had been central to the problem.
“They have caused unprecedented levels of burnout and low morale among junior doctors working in the Northern Ireland health service.
“The combination of these issues, and the fact our contract no longer reflects the current reality of training in Northern Ireland, means many junior doctors are opting out.
“They are avoiding training, leaving the profession, or choosing to practice outside of Northern Ireland where pay, conditions and life/work balance are much more attractive.
“The lack of a functioning government and Executive, with no health minister in place is extremely frustrating.
“But we have to do something. Our members made it clear to us that doing nothing was not an option.”
Other key findings from the NIJDC survey include:
- 72% of junior doctor respondents said they were now more likely to leave training because of the low pay, with 61% of respondents disagreeing that they were paid fairly for the work that they do.
- 68% of respondents strongly agreed that workload pressures affect the ability to receive on the job training needed for career progression. 35% of respondents reported frequently having to miss training sessions in the past six months, while only 5% of respondents strongly agreed that the quality of training was good.
Survey respondents were also given an opportunity to share their thoughts on their pay and workplace conditions.
Below is a small selection of the feedback received:
Junior doctor 1: “What should be a rewarding career into a constant stress. Morale in hospitals is at an all-time low and staff of all grades feel undervalued by management and the government.”
Junior doctor 2: “I am so frustrated at how broken our system is. I’m an F2 currently and I, alongside my colleagues, are overworked, overstressed, understaffed and underpaid and the government does not care.
“Critically, this means worse care for patients, and having been in medicine, surgery and emergency medicine, I can without doubt say the care of patients is currently abysmal.”
Dr Griffin added: “We are willing to engage with anyone – the Permanent Secretary, the Secretary of State, our elected representatives – to fix pay and our working conditions.
“The future of our profession and our health service depends on these issues being addressed as a matter of urgency.”
The NIJDC survey took place over the course of four weeks in July and August 2023 and was open to both members and non-members of BMA employed as trainee doctors in the Northern Ireland health service. The survey received 899 respondents.
- Junior doctor pay levels in Northern Ireland compared to the other UK nations:
| NI | Wales | Scotland | England | |
| F1 | £26,713 | £27,115 | £31,082 | £32,398 |
| F2 | £33,133 | £33,633 | £38,553 | £37,303 |
| SpR (Specialty Registrar) | £35,405 | £35,940 | £40,995 | £43,923 |
For more background on Northern Ireland junior doctor pay scales and pay erosion, visit here.
Caviat: A pokesperson for the BMA said that the BMA had already balloted and the ballot was not ‘indicative‘.
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Department of Health Statement On Pending Junior Doctor Strike
A spokesperson for the the Department is disappointed by the announcement today of an indicative ballot for Industrial Action by Junior Doctors.
“In a meeting with the Department, the BMA Junior Doctors’ Committee representatives set out their call for an above inflation pay award for 2023/24 in addition to a commitment to restore pay to 2008 comparative levels.
“The Department reiterated the position regarding the ongoing absence of pay offers for 2023/24.
“The reality is that implementing the pay offered in England for Agenda for Change health and social care staff, and implementing the recommendations of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration, would require large scale cuts to services.
“These cuts would be on an unprecedented scale, with severe and lasting implications for health and social care provision.
“The Department does not have the authority to make such cutbacks in the absence of a Minister.
“We also do not believe junior doctors or any other part of the health and social care workforce would want us to implement such measures.
“The Department fully understands the deep-seated frustrations over the absence of pay offers.
“We recognise that this is not a sustainable position and remain committed to pursuing all avenues to help achieve a resolution.
The Department respects the right of every individual to take industrial action.
“However, doing so at this time – with no route to a successful resolution currently available – would only further add to already severe pressures on services.”
