After weeks of negotiations with BMA Scotland, the Scottish government has put forward a new offer for junior doctors, covering a two-year period.
While BMA Scotland has not officially agreed to the improved deal, it believes it is likely to be the best offer the Scottish government will present.
The union will consult its members, who previously voted in favor of strike action, over the offer.
Read More: Tens of thousands of UK junior doctors to strike in bitter pay dispute
The Scottish government has proposed a £61.3 million investment in junior doctor pay, which they describe as the largest in 20 years and the most favorable offer across the UK.
If accepted, the proposal includes a 6.5 percent pay rise in 2023/24 and an additional three percent towards an already agreed 4.5 percent uplift in 2022/23.
This amounts to a cumulative increase of 14.5 percent over two years, matching the recent pay award accepted by nurses and other NHS workers in 2023.
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BMA Scotland members had previously voted in favor of a 72-hour walkout, demanding a 23.5 percent increase above inflation.
The consultative vote resulted in 97 percent of the participating eligible 5,000 junior doctors in Scotland in favor of industrial action.
Scotland’s Health Secretary, Michael Matheson, expressed his satisfaction with reaching an agreement with BMA Scotland after intensive negotiations.
Read More: More NHS strikes as thousands of junior doctors walkout over pay
He urged junior doctors to consider the final offer and expressed hope that they would accept it.
Dr. Chris Smith, Chair of BMA Scotland’s junior doctor committee, clarified that the BMA had not agreed to the deal or accepted any offer.
However, he acknowledged that the offer represented an improvement compared to the 4.5 percent awarded last year and would slow down the erosion of doctors’ pay, which had been declining in real terms for 15 years.
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Junior doctors, who constitute 44 percent of doctors in the NHS in Scotland, have yet to stage strikes in Scotland, unlike their counterparts in England.
Junior doctors in England held strikes earlier this year, resulting in the cancellation of numerous hospital appointments.
Other NHS staff, including ambulance staff and senior doctors, have also engaged in strikes and disputes over pay in England and Wales.
The final decision rests with BMA Scotland members, who will have the opportunity to vote on the proposal and determine the next steps for their union.
