Junior doctors in Wales get three-month extension to strike mandate

Credit: PA Welsh junior doctors on the picket line outside the University Hospital Wales in Cardiff as they begin another round of strike action in their long running dispute over pay. Picture date: Wednesday February 21, 2024.
Junior doctors in Wales have taken part in 10 days of industrial action since January this year. Credit: PA Images

Junior doctors have secured a three-month extension to their strike mandate.

It's part of their negotiations with the Welsh Government over pay.

BMA Cymru Wales has confirmed junior doctors in Wales would now have the right to enact industrial action over their pay until 17 September 2024 instead of 17 June 2024, when the mandate was due to run out.

The Welsh Government and NHS employers have agreed to the extension to allow talks to continue, with a view to end the pay dispute.

The BMA union says the change is down to "recognising the strength of feeling amongst junior doctors" after 98% voted for a walkout back in December, from a turnout of 65%.

Strike action suspended as doctors enter pay negotiations with Welsh Government

Co-chairs of the Welsh Junior Doctor Committee Dr Oba Babs-Osibodu and Dr Peter Fahey said they were "pleased" with this development.

They said: “Whilst we hope to put an end to our pay dispute through pay negotiations by reaching a credible deal and restoring our pay, it was important to secure more time for our mandate.

Members of the British Medical Association have been walking out of NHS hospitals across Wales Credit: PA

“The extension allows us to focus on talks but also provides us with the scope to get organised and enact our legal right to strike should we need to. This is about honouring the emphatic mandate of our members.

“Doctors have experienced real terms pay cut of almost a third since 2008. They voted overwhelmingly to put an end to the devaluing of their service, they know they are not worth a third less than their predecessors and they know the time is now to stick up for the profession and turn the tide of the continued erosion of their pay once and for all”.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the strength of feeling among BMA members and that industrial action is never taken lightly.

“This is a government that listens and engages to find solutions and we are committed to working in social partnership with the BMA and NHS employers to ending the current junior doctor, consultant and SAS doctor disputes.

“Employers extending the strike mandate and unions suspending the industrial action both build trust in that partnership. We won’t be providing a running commentary while negotiations take place.”

Last month, BMA Cymru Wales announced it was suspending forthcoming industrial action for Consultants and SAS doctors and pausing announcing more strike dates for junior doctors to allow pay negotiations to take place.

As part of their disputes, junior doctors have taken part in 10 days of industrial action since January this year.

The UK Government has previously said that Wales has received a record level of funding this year.

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