Consultants and specialist doctors to begin strike action

Consultants and specialist doctors are taking part in industrial action over pay.

This is the first time these two groups of doctors have gone on strike in Northern Ireland, and while most routine and elective services will be cancelled, full emergency cover will remain in place.

The 24-hour industrial action begins at 07:00 BST on Thursday until 06:59 on Friday, but there will be no picket line demonstrations.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he was disappointed the doctors were proceeding with strike action, and he remained committed to implementing this year's pay award but was currently unable to do so in the absence of an agreed budget.

The British Medical Association (BMA) balloted its members over a four-week period after doctors' leaders rejected a recommended 3.5% pay uplift from an independent pay body.

A separate 24-hour walkout will take place on Monday 29 June.

Earlier this month it was announced that 92% of resident doctors voted yes and 79% of consultants voted for strike action.

The BMA also said 90% of SAS (specialist, associate specialist and speciality) doctors voted in favour of strike action.

Both branches of practice voted in favour of industrial action in what they said was "over 18 years of pay erosion".

Representatives from the BMA will go to Stormont on Thursday where they will meet with the chair and deputy chair of the assembly's health committee to discuss the pay dispute.

Dr David Farren, chair of BMA's Northern Ireland consultants committee, said: "No doctor wants to take strike action.

"However, there is a palpable sense of anger among all secondary care doctors at years of significant pay erosion in return for trying to deliver care in an overstretched health system."

Dr Leanne Davison, chair of BMA's Northern Ireland SAS committee, said the health service can "no longer run on the goodwill of front-line staff".

"Doctors are choosing to leave the health service or to reduce their contracted hours due to continued pay erosion and we can see the outworkings of this in services having to close due to staffing shortages.

"Those with the power to change this have so far chosen not to, which has forced hospital doctors into the unacceptable position of taking strike action in order to be heard."

The health minister said to go beyond the 3.5% as recommended by the independent pay review recommendation would have "significant repercussions for nurses, teachers, police officers and indeed the entire public sector workforce".

"I reiterate my commitment to ensuring HSC colleagues receive their recommended 26/27 pay uplifts, despite the unprecedented shortfall as indicated in my draft budget," he said.

"There is simply no scope for pay awards beyond the recommendations of the review bodies in 26/27."