Consultant doctors in England are set to stage a two-day strike from November 25 over pay and working conditions, a move expected to disrupt routine and planned National Health Service services.
The industrial action will begin at 6:59am GMT, with consultants providing emergency care only under an arrangement known as Christmas Day cover.
The British Medical Association announced the strike after negotiations with the government failed to resolve the dispute. Its members voted in July to support industrial action.
Consultants, the most senior doctors in the NHS, received a 3.5 per cent pay rise this year. However, the BMA says their pay has fallen by about 25 per cent over the past 17 years when inflation is taken into account.
The union is demanding a reduction in the standard working week from 40 to 35 hours, improved pay for work outside regular hours and changes to pension arrangements, including greater flexibility over when pensions can be accessed.
In a joint statement, the co-chairs of the BMA consultants committee, Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, said they had tried to negotiate with the government in good faith but accused ministers of repeatedly delaying action.
“Unfortunately, that road has now run out, and we have been forced to announce strikes,” they said.
The doctors added that consultants took their responsibilities seriously but that many had reached the limit of their patience over the dispute.
According to the BBC, consultants earn an average of more than £150,000 annually. Basic salaries range from £113,500 to £150,500 for the most experienced doctors, with many receiving additional payments and awards.
In the strike ballot, 76 per cent of consultants who voted supported industrial action, although just over half of eligible BMA members participated.
The government argued that the result represented only about one in five consultants employed by the NHS in England, noting that nearly half of consultants were not members of the union.
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government had held constructive discussions with the BMA but described the announcement of strike dates as disappointing.
She warned that industrial action would be irresponsible and place additional pressure on the health service.
The government estimates that meeting all the union's demands would cost between £2bn and £3bn annually.
The planned walkout comes as consultants and other doctors are also involved in strike action in Northern Ireland during November.
Consultants last went on strike in England in 2023. A separate, prolonged dispute involving resident doctors in England ended earlier this year after more than three years of intermittent industrial action.
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