Health Secretary response to strike dates

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

“I wrote to the BMA this morning to offer to meet their committee and work with them to improve the working lives of resident doctors. Instead of talking, they've announced strikes.

“No trade union in British history has seen its members receive a 28.9% pay rise only to immediately respond with strikes, and the majority of BMA resident doctors didn't vote to strike.

“This is completely unreasonable. The NHS recovery is hanging by a thread, and the BMA are threatening to pull it. The BMA should abandon their rush to strike and work with us to improve resident doctors working lives instead.”

For background:

• The Secretary of State has always been clear that we are not prepared to negotiate on this year's pay award. That position has not changed.
• Turnout is 55.3%, down from 61.9% in 2024, 71.3% in June-Aug 2023, and 77.5% in Jan-Feb 2023.
• On a turnout of 55.32%, with 90.05% in favour, that means only 49.78% voted in favour of strike action.
• Of the 77,000 resident doctors working in our NHS, only around a third actually voted for strike action.   
• The letter from the Secretary of State to the BMA resident doctor co-chairs is available here: BMA resident doctor ballot outcome - GOV.UK