As junior doctors embark on a 72-hour walkout from 7am this morning until 7am on Saturday, thousands of NHS appointments are expected to be disrupted or cancelled, highlighting the ongoing pay dispute with the government.
Junior doctors are walking out in a dispute with the government about pay and the level of payrise currently on offer with The British Medical Association (BMA) calling for a “full restoration” of pay, emphasising a 26 percent decline in salaries. However, the government has offered medics a mere five percent increase to resolve the industrial action.
So, how much do junior doctors actually earn in the UK?
Their salaries depend on various factors, including the national pay scales, years of experience, and specific roles.
According to the BMA, foundation doctors in their first year on the 2016 contract receive £29,384. As they progress to the second year, their salary increases to £34,012.
In comparison, junior doctors on the 2002 contract earn £25,494 during their first year and £31,621 in their second.
Moving on to specialist training, doctors beginning this phase can expect to earn between £40,257 and £53,398 annually.
The BMA highlights that junior doctors in England have experienced a decline in real-term wages over the past 15 years, with a substantial 26.1 percent decrease since the 2008/09 tax year. It’s important to note that the current pay agreement for junior doctors is set to expire in March 2023.
So, why are junior doctors resorting to striking?
In May, when the BMA announced the strikes, Dr. Vivek Trivedi and Dr. Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, expressed their concerns. They stated, “Since April’s strikes, we have engaged in three weeks of negotiations with the government, seeking a deal that fully restores pay for junior doctors after the more than 26 percent drop they have suffered over the last 15 years.”
Dr. Trivedi and Dr. Laurenson had hoped for a credible offer that would halt the need for further industrial action and address the exodus of junior doctors from the NHS. However, they found the government’s offer of a five percent increase to be inadequate and insufficient in addressing the erosion of pay over the years.
The BMA said that this offer falls short of expectations, stating that it “would not even have matched inflation this year.” Consequently, it is deemed an incredulous and unreasonable proposal at this stage of the negotiation process.
As the strike unfolds, the pay dispute between junior doctors and the government continues to capture attention, and a resolution remains uncertain.
