Doctors in England are demanding a 29% pay increase to restore real-terms earnings to 2008 levels, warning that failure to act now would deepen NHS challenges and worsen staff retention.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents resident doctors (formerly junior doctors), began balloting its members this week for potential industrial action.
The move follows widespread criticism of the government’s latest pay offer—a 4% increase plus a £750 one-off payment for resident doctors.
The BMA insists this falls far short of reversing years of pay erosion, claiming doctors have lost 23% of their earnings in real terms since 2008.
If approved, the strike mandate will run from July to January 2026, renewing the threat of disruption to healthcare services.
The Independent publication noted that as of last year, doctors staged 44 days of walkouts before a 22% pay deal ended the dispute.
Co-chairs of the BMA’s resident doctors committee said the NHS “does not have the time” to delay pay restoration, citing record waiting lists and widespread staff burnout.
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They acknowledge that doctors must be kept in the system now while urging colleagues to vote for further strike action.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has acknowledged poor treatment of NHS doctors but cautioned against fresh strikes, arguing they would jeopardise recovery efforts across the health service.
He pointed to three successive above-inflation pay rises as evidence of progress.
Meanwhile, the demand adds pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of next week’s spending review.
Already grappling with requests for more funding from police and security services in light of proposed early prisoner releases, Reeves now faces scrutiny over whether her fiscal rules can withstand rising public sector costs.
BMA chair Professor Philip Banfield said the latest award “delays pay restoration even more,” warning that the government has offered “without a government plan or reassurance to correct this erosion of what a doctor is worth.”
Meanwhile, the doctors’ ballot closes on July 7.
