Junior doctors based in Northern Ireland are preparing for their initial industrial strike over wages. The 24-hour demonstration will start at 8am on Wednesday, significantly impacting hospitals and GP practices. Robin Swann, the Health Minister, has cautioned that the disturbance caused by this strike will be substantial, causing numerous missed appointments and procedures.
The decision to strike was made after 97.6% of junior doctors polled by the BMA of Northern Ireland advocated for industrial action. The prevalent request from the union is for a full restoration of pay to the rates of 2008.
The chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland junior doctors committee, Dr Fiona Griffin, expressed that “Every doctor is reluctant to strike, yet we feel cornered into standing up for ourselves. We won’t tolerate the lack of fair treatment in terms of pay and working conditions anymore; this is leading to a severe staffing crisis that isn’t being addressed properly.”
She continues to express the critical role junior doctors play in healthcare stating, “As junior doctors, we are the future consultants, GPs and specialists upon whom the Department of Health relies upon to rescue our troubled health service.”
Dr Griffin further explained that the pay of junior doctors in Northern Ireland varies significantly. Newly qualified doctors earn less than £13 per hour while experienced surgeons, oncologists and cardiologists earn £30 per hour. She shared her worries about the increasing number of junior doctors thinking about leaving the health service in search of better pay and improved working conditions.
Dr Griffin also expressed disappointment over the lack of substantial interaction with the Department of Health over their pay demands and their dismissive response to the direct action. She also criticized the delay of further pay discussions until after England’s pay negotiations, referring to it as “absurd and unacceptable.”
The feeling of being undervalued is widespread among junior doctors, comments a representative from their ranks. A spokesperson from the Department of Health responds that the industrial action set for Wednesday will likely create a substantial disturbance to patient services.
Despite the impending disruption, the Department and its minister stand firm in their commitment to dialogue with the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, and stand by this as the most promising route to relieve the current tension.
Considering their position for the 2023/24 fiscal year, the Department is bound by the recommendations put forth by independent pay review bodies, or the replication of pay agreements established in England. The spokesperson further comments that as a result of these recommendations, junior doctors in Northern Ireland have received an offer of an average pay hike of 9.1% for the fiscal year 2023/24, with first-year doctors seeing a 10.7% increase.
The spokesperson confirmed this pay rise would be retrospectively applicable from April 2023 and should be taken into account within the broader Northern Irish public sector’s pay agreements context. They stressed that this methodology extends to all healthcare personnel groups with no exceptions being possible.
Despite explicit restrictions for the fiscal year 2023/24, the spokesperson believes there is room for fruitful deliberations with the BMA Junior Doctors Committee. These could encompass various matters, such as the remuneration for junior doctors in 2024/25; a probable overhaul of the current young doctors’ contracts in Northern Ireland, and addressing crucial concerns about working conditions and other non-salary related issues.