- In July, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said they would get a 6 percent increase
Junior doctors have agreed to talks with the Ministry of Health in a bid to end the strikes.
The British Medical Association announced last night that it will meet officials next week for a preliminary discussion that could lay the groundwork for negotiations in the coming weeks.
But a new pay deal for this year is said to be ‘off the table’ as the government insists the current arrangement is ‘fair and final’.
Junior doctors, including medics below the rank of consultant, went on strike for the first time in March to seek a 35 percent pay increase. They say their wages have been cut in real terms since 2008.
The British Medical Association announced last night that it will meet officials next week for a preliminary discussion that could lay the groundwork for negotiations in the coming weeks.
In July, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said they would get a 6 per cent increase, with an additional consolidated increase of £1,250.
It meant they received an average increase of 8.8 per cent, with those in their first year of hospital training seeing their wages rise by 10.3 per cent.
Work strikes by NHS staff have led to the cancellation of more than a million appointments since November, pushing up waiting lists – which now stand at a record 7.75 million.
Responding to the announcement of talks on In this for the long term.’
A Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘We are pleased that the BMA… has agreed to talks in the hope that we will find a solution and end the dispute.
‘We have made it clear that no headline pay will be on the table as doctors have already received a fair and reasonable pay increase as recommended by the independent pay review body, which we have fully accepted.’
Advisers, who have received a 6 percent increase but want more, have also protested and recently agreed to part ways with ministers.