Resident doctors set to strike, saying a 29% pay raise still feels like a holiday without a flight
Starting on July 25, resident doctors—formerly known as junior doctors—will step off the job for five hard‑days. The strike could wipe out hundreds of thousands of appointments this month, because each of our hospitals normally sees around 300,000 outpatients every single day.
Why the protest is on the horizon
- Demand: They want a 29% pay raise, and they’re not biting the fish if it’s not there.
- History: Over the past three years, resident doctors have already received a 28.9% rise. “It’s not the best deal, but a respectable one,” the Health Secretary suggests.
- Union stance: Despite that bump, the British Medical Association (BMA) feels the pay still doesn’t match the effort. They’re feeling like a sandwich with too little filling.
- Voting: The majority of resident doctors in the BMA didn’t vote for a strike, yet the union is still threatening one.
Wes Streeting’s blistering take
“No trade union in British history has received a 28.9% pay rise and then immediately decided to strike,” says Security Wes Streeting.
“The NHS recovery is hanging by a thread, and the BMA threatens to pull it. The BMA should abandon their rush to strike and work with us to improve resident doctors’ working lives instead.”
In a letter to the BMA on Wednesday, Streeting added, “I’m disappointed that despite all the progress we’ve made this year and that the majority of BMA resident doctors didn’t vote to strike, the BMA is still threatening action.”
He also highlighted that the latest pay rise “was significantly higher than affordability,” but notes that public servants, including residents, won’t understand why a 28.9% bump leads to a strike.
NHS Providers’ warning
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, warns that a five‑day strike with only two weeks’ notice can only hurt everyone. “It’s unfair to patients whose care will be canceled at such short notice just when the NHS is starting to reduce waiting lists,” he says.
Elkeles calls it a “lack of respect” for colleagues in other disciplines who received lower pay rises but will now cover resident doctors’ work.
Doctors’ plea for dialogue
Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, the committee’s co‑leaders, explain that “every attempt” has been made to avoid strikes by opening negotiations for pay. “Unfortunately, the Government refuses to negotiate on pay, choosing to focus on non‑pay elements without specifying what they are.”
They say, “Without a credible offer to restore our pay, we have no choice but to strike. No doctor wants a strike, but it doesn’t have to happen. If Mr Streeting can seriously come to the table in the next two weeks, we can avoid disruption. The government knows what’s needed to avert strikes. The choice is theirs.”
What this means for you
If the strike goes ahead, think of stumbling through a day with a chaotic schedule: appointments canceled, patients left waiting, and that feeling of missing a crucial check‑up. While residents work to fight for fair compensation, our hope is that situations like this will end with a Table‑talk, not a “walk‑out.”
