Home » UK Employment news » Government to hold talks with NHS consultants to end strikes

Government to hold talks with NHS consultants to end strikes

By Nithya Bose in UK Employment news, posted October 18, 2023

The government will meet consultants to resolve the ongoing NHS dispute in England, which has led to a series of strikes.

The British Medical Association (BMA), representing consultants, has agreed to refrain from calling additional strikes until November for further talks.

While the government has maintained that wage increases are non-negotiable, it has not ruled out the possibility of other incentives.

The recent wave of NHS strikes has rescheduled over a million appointments and operations.

In early October, consultants and junior doctors in England jointly staged a three-day strike.

Health leaders have urged both parties to engage in talks, expressing concerns about the issues any industrial action during winter would cause.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed their plans to meet with the BMA following the union's commitment to suspending strike actions.

The government said consultants have already received a "fair and reasonable pay rise" as an independent pay review body recommended.

Additionally, they have benefited from substantial pension reforms, which were a key request of the BMA.

This year, the government granted consultants a 6 percent pay increase, as the independent pay review body recommended.

This increase brings their basic salary to between £93,000 and £126,000, depending on their experience level.

Consultants also receive supplementary payments of about 25 percent for on-call duties, additional hours, and performance-based bonuses.

However, the BMA rejected the 6 percent pay rise, suggesting that approximately 12 percent would be more acceptable.

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They believe this increase would adequately compensate for the income erosion caused by inflation.

Dr Vishal Sharma, chair of the BMA consultants committee, said it was "good to see the government is willing to come to the table."

But he added that the pay review body needed reform to "correct the losses that consultants have experienced that have resulted in the current workforce crisis."

The government's reluctance to discuss "headline pay" may present a negotiation challenge.

However, the NHS Confederation, representing employers, viewed this development as a positive step in the right direction.

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