Northern Irish doctors have voted in favour of strike action later this month in protest over pay
Doctors in Northern Ireland have voted to go on strike on two days later this month.
It centres on a row over pay, with their union, the British Medical Association (BMA) rejecting a 3.5% pay rise.
The UK’s current inflation rate (according to the Bank of England) is 2.8%.
Doctors in Northern Ireland accepted a roughly 4% pay rise last year.
The specific types of doctors which have today voted to strike are resident doctors (the BMA’s new name for junior doctors) and consultants.
In all, 1,599 resident doctors were balloted, with the turnout being 38% (equivalent to 608 doctors).
In addition, 1,167 consultants were balloted, with the turnout being 58.8% (equivalent to 686 doctors).
Some 92% of resident doctors who voted opted to strike, and 79% of responding consultants opted to strike.
The dates for the strikes are 7am on June 25 to 7am on June 26 for consultants, and 7am on June 29 to 7am on June 30 for residents.
The results of a seperate ballot of specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors (known as SAS doctors) will be known this Friday.
Asked if there will be exceptions to the June 25 and 29 strikes, with doctors continuing to man A&E departments for example, the BMA responded: “We will prioritise patient safety and continue to provide emergency care, in keeping with the level of services available on Christmas Day.
"There will be a process agreed for requesting derogations for emergencies.”
In a statement this afternoon, Dr David Farren, chairman of the BMA’s Northern Ireland consultants committee, said: “This result sends a very clear message that concerns about pay erosion, workload and the future of the profession are widely shared across the workforce, across all grades of hospital doctor.
“No one who voted in this ballot took this decision lightly; we know that from our conversations with members, but it’s a clear indication from the doctors who actually deliver the health service in Northern Ireland exactly how serious the situation has become.”
Meanwhile a statement from Dr Steven Montgomery, the BMA’s Northern Ireland resident doctors committee chairman, said: “This result makes it clear that doctors are standing up for safe, sustainable services and for being valued to stay working in Northern Ireland.
"Younger doctors in particular are more mobile and the better pay and better working conditions on offer in other countries means we are losing doctors when we really need to do all we can to keep doctors working here.
“The onus is now firmly on government to engage urgently and meaningfully and present a credible way forward to avert strike action.”
In Northern Ireland resident doctors’ pay begins at about £36,000 and rises on a scale up to around £71,000.
SAS doctors begin at about £62,000 and rise up to about £111,000.
Consultant pay starts at about £111,000 and goes up to about £146,000.
By comparison, in GB, consultants’ starting pay is just slightly higher than NI, but at the top end of the scale consultants can earn £157,457.
In the Republic of Ireland a consultant at the top of their payscale can earn around £248,000.