Hospital doctors in Northern Ireland are set to stage two 24-hour walkouts next month if a ballot for industrial action is passed, The Irish News has learned.
Consultants, specialist (SAS) and resident doctors in the British Medical Association are currently voting on the measure after rejecting a recommended 3.5% pay increase.
With GPs already taking collective action since last summer, it means that all categories of doctors in Northern Ireland are now in dispute with the Department of Health.
The ballot is set to close on June 8, with a proposed 24-hour strike for consultants and SAS doctors on Thursday, June 25, with the medics operating on a Christmas rota basis.
Resident doctors would then stage a full walkout on Monday, June 29, with consultants and SAS doctors taking over their duties.
Dr David Farren, chair of the BMA’s Northern Ireland consultants committee, speaks to The Irish News.
PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN
Dr David Farren is chair of the BMA’s Northern Ireland consultants committee.
“It’s an unprecedented move in Northern Ireland. It’s the first time that all grades of hospital doctors in all specialties are being balloted,” he told The Irish News.
“That really shows the depth of feeling for hospital doctors at the moment, that their pay and conditions are not great.
“That we are the lowest paid doctors in the UK and Ireland, that we are consistently having the same fight over our basic terms and conditions.”
Dr Farren said the BMA were announcing the proposed strike dates well in advance to give hospitals time to prepare.
“Assuming that we get a yes vote in our ballot, for resident doctors the strike action will be similar to what they’ve taken before, a full walkout of their staff for 24 hours.
“During those times, there will still be consultants and SAS doctors keeping patients safe.
“For the consultant/SAS strike actions it will be a 24 hour action, however it will be a Christmas Day service – so we would leave the minimum number of staff in the hospital to remain safe.”
Resident doctors in Northern Ireland last staged strike action in 2024.
PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
While the BMA has called the 3.5% recommendation from Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body (DDRB) “unacceptable” after what they say is 18 years of pay erosion, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has said it is not even certain that can be awarded this year in the absence of a Stormont budget.
Current pay scales listed by the BMA for residents (formerly known as junior doctors) range from a starting salary of around £35,000 to an upper limit of just over £70,000.
Specialist, associate specialist and specialty (SAS) can earn between £61,000 to over £111,000.
For consultants, the pay scale ranges from between around £110,000 to over £145,000.
While this is far above Northern Ireland’s average salary of £37,000, medics in the Republic can expect to earn significantly more.
Resident doctors at the start of their career will start at around €43,000 (£37,000), while consultants can earn up to €277,000 (£240,000).
“If we look not too far away to the Republic of Ireland, they put massive investment into their health service to drive a public health service for all and they’re reaping the benefits of that,” Dr Farren said.
“Their consultant numbers alone have increased 42% between 2020-25 and every measure of health efficiency has improved.
“Their length of healthy life has improved, where when you look at Northern Ireland those same metrics are going down.
“We are not delivering the health service that we need to deliver to the people because it is under resourced and understaffed.
“We need decisive action for the people of Northern Ireland to actually address this and to deliver.”
A Department of Health spokesperson said they are “disappointed at the decision of the various BMA committees to ballot for industrial action”.
“The Minister is committed to implementing this year’s pay award as recommended by the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Pay Review Body as soon as the NI Executive Departmental Budgets are agreed,” they said.
“The uplift recommended by the Review Body for 26/27 is 3.5%, which is higher than that which has been recommended for other healthcare professionals working in Health and Social Care (HSC) and comes on top of an average cumulative 30% for Resident doctors, 25% for Specialty, Associate Specialist, and Specialist doctors (SAS doctors) and 24% for Consultants pay lifts over the last three years.
“While the Department will continue to engage with health unions, we must recognise that the financial constraints within which we are operating mean there is no room for movement beyond the 3.5% recommended by DDRB.
“In recent months, we have seen progress with respect to our elective waiting lists. This has only been possible through the hard work, dedication and commitment of the doctors and other health care professionals working across our HSC.”
They added: “A decision to take strike action at this time would put all those hard-won gains at risk. We would therefore encourage the Consultant, SAS and Resident Doctor workforce to consider this before following such a path.”