BMA Staff to Go On Strike Themselves After Pushing 14 Junior Doctor Strikes
Staff at the British Medical Association, the union behind the 14 junior doctors’ strikes, have voted to go on strike themselves, complaining of inadequate pay. The Telegraph has the story.
Workers at the British Medical Association (BMA) voted overwhelmingly in favour of walkouts at the end of next week after a dispute about pay.
The GMB union, which represents the BMA workers involved, recorded an 80% turnout, with 96% of those who took part in the ballot supporting strike action.
The BMA is at the centre of ongoing strike action in the NHS and the medics it represents have threatened to continue industrial action during the spring and summer.
Junior doctors – also known as resident doctors after they voted to rebrand themselves in 2024 – went on strike for the 14th time just before Christmas.
The vote came despite pleas from NHS bosses not to do so amid mounting winter pressures on the health service.
Hundreds of employees at the BMA have now decided it is their turn to strike after pay talks at Acas, the conciliation service, broke down.
The walkouts will begin at midnight on Friday March 27th and last for 48 hours until the end of Saturday March 28th.
According to GMB, employees at the BMA have seen their pay fall by almost 17% in real terms after years of sub-inflation pay rises.
This is despite the BMA demanding that Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, offer resident doctors a 26% pay rise. The uplift would be in addition to increases of 29% that have already been received in the last three years.
Gavin Davies, a senior organiser at the GMB, said: “This ballot result reflects the strength of feeling inside the BMA. Staff are angry and disappointed that the pay deal offered doesn’t match inflation and doesn’t begin to address the real terms pay cut they’ve experienced.
“BMA staff have tirelessly supported resident doctors in their fight for improved pay. Now it’s their turn to demand a fair pay deal.”
A GMB member working for the BMA added: “We just want to focus on supporting BMA members in their campaigns. We hope BMA management can come to the table with a reasonable offer that recognises our efforts and does not represent another year of real terms pay cuts.”
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Hundreds of employees at a union’s offices went on strike? What, pray, were they all doing?
Associating?
remove the NHS, make all medicine pay as you go except for children under secondary school and the elderly, that is over seventy five’s.
the only free service for the adult population should be genuine a and e.
anyone caught complaining about their nettle rash should be charged for time wasting.
a sensible insurance policy should be introduced to cover the basics and the doctors will have to prove themselves worth any money they are paid.
considering the amount of medical problems they don’t seem to be able to cure, they have a cheek asking for anything
It’s a bottomless moneypit. No amount of reform can overcome this. The whole system needs radical dismemberment.
Must be great to be really healthy. Or have lots of money if you do get unwell. The NHS is a great idea, not when it’s being used to treat the world.
Apart from organising doctors strikes, what exactly do the BMA do?
Are they a QUANGO? Get rid!
They’re a doctors’ union.
Time for some new contracts. And some sackings. Starbucks in the blue states know how to do it.
BMA staff going on strike? What a golden opportunity to lock them out permanently and get rid of the duffers.