Junior medical doctors in Scotland settle for ‘report’ pay provide

Junior medical doctors in Scotland have voted to just accept a “record” pay provide from the Scottish authorities.

The deal, accepted by British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland members, features a 12.4% pay improve for 2023/24.

This is along with the 4.5% rise awarded in 2022/23, that means the medics will obtain a complete pay improve of 17% over two years.

The deal – for junior medical doctors and dentists in coaching – brings to an finish the specter of strike motion.

It comes after members of union HCSA Scotland, which represents hospital medical doctors, voted on Tuesday to just accept the Scottish authorities’s provide.

The deal will price Holyrood £61.3m and is alleged to be the biggest within the final 20 years and “the best offer in the UK”.

Health Secretary Michael Matheson stated: “I am very pleased that BMA members have overwhelmingly voted to accept this record pay deal for junior doctors.

“This is the only greatest funding in junior physician pay since devolution, and maintains our dedication to make Scotland the most effective place within the UK for junior medical doctors to work and practice.

“Due to the significant engagement we’ve got had with commerce unions, we’ve got averted any industrial motion in Scotland – the one a part of the UK to keep away from NHS strikes.

“We will now implement this pay uplift, and will work with the BMA to take forward the other aspects of the deal including contract and pay bargaining reform.”

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The results of the consultative vote of BMA Scotland members noticed 81.64% vote in favour of the provide with a turnout of 71.24%.

For the next three monetary years, the BMA’s Scottish Junior Doctor Committee (SJDC) will now enter yearly negotiations with the Scottish authorities that should “make credible progress” in actual phrases in the direction of full pay restoration to 2008 ranges.

Dr Chris Smith, chairman of the SJDC, stated: “Earlier this year, junior doctors in Scotland said enough is enough – they were clear that they will no longer stand aside and accept any more sub-inflationary pay awards year after year.

“The sturdy mandate for hanging – with 97% of those that turned out in our poll voting in favour of business motion – speaks for itself.

“Key to this offer, that sets it apart from what is happening elsewhere in the UK, is that the Scottish government recognises this reality and has agreed to ongoing negotiations towards full pay restoration to 2008 levels, with an unprecedented commitment to set inflation as the floor of the pay offer at each round of negotiation.

“This construction will preserve the momentum of our marketing campaign in Scotland for full pay restoration over the subsequent few months and into subsequent yr.”

Dr Smith stated that if ample progress in the direction of full pay restoration shouldn’t be made on the subsequent spherical of negotiations or ought to the Scottish authorities not observe via with any components of its provide, the union is not going to hesitate to poll its members once more and take strike motion, ought to or not it’s required.