JUNIOR doctors in Scotland are to be balloted on strike action in the latest walkout threat to face the NHS.
BMA Scotland confirmed that it is now in formal dispute with the Scottish Government after talks "failed to reach an agreement to enter meaningful negotiations on full pay restoration for junior doctors".
The BMA’s Scottish Junior Doctor Committee (SJDC) has now voted to ballot members on industrial action in the first quarter of 2023 – subject to approval from the BMA’s UK Council.
The trade union said junior doctors in Scotland have seen their real terms pay fall by 23.5% between 2008/09 and 2021/22 for foundation year (FY) doctors, and by 23.9% for specialty registrars (StRs).
This year's pay award of 4.5% is also substantially below inflation.
READ MORE: Why doctors are angry at their 4.5 per cent 'pay rise'
Dr Chris Smith, chair of the BMA’s Scottish Junior Doctor Committee, said: “Years and years of being under-valued and under appreciated has led us to this point – I want to be absolutely clear that we did not reach this decision rashly. We do this reluctantly.
"We have given the Scottish Government plenty of opportunities to rethink this year’s pay award which is, frankly, unacceptable under the current circumstances, and commit to entering into meaningful negotiations on restoring junior doctor pay to 2008 levels.
"They have given us no confidence this will happen, and so we find ourselves forced to push forward with our plan to seek approval to ballot our Scottish junior doctor members on strike action."
Junior doctors are the first group of medics to move towards industrial action over pay.
No decision has been reached yet by GPs or consultants, although previous workforce surveys indicated a strong appetite for some form of industrial action over the 4.5% pay offer.
The BMA previously announced that a ballot on strike action for junior doctors in England would open on January 9 2023.
Dr Smith added: "We have consistently been told there is nothing that can be done, that there is no money – and yet we see ‘record pay offers’ being made to other NHS colleagues when they lay down the gauntlet.
“No one who enters medical school is driven purely by financial reward; we want what’s best for the public and our patients.
"But right now, we can see that, without halting the burnout, demoralisation and resulting exodus of talented and compassionate staff, we will not be able to provide that care for much longer."
READ MORE: The SNP promised 800 extra GPs. Five years on we have 61
He said that some first-year junior doctors in Scotland – FY1s – are earning a basic salary that equates to approximately £14 an hour for a job that involves life and death decisions, with some struggling to pay their rent and heating bills or even to feed themselves.
Dr Smith added: “Reinstating fair reward for the work junior doctors do – which is simply in line with what our counterparts in 2008 earned – will demonstrate the Scottish government genuinely does value us and our contributions beyond the warm words we often hear repeated. The time for platitudes is over – we have been pushed to our limit.
"Junior doctors will leave the NHS in Scotland for better pay, better conditions, and better work life balance in places like Australia, New Zealand, and Canada if urgent action is not taken by our government. I implore the Scottish government to finally hear our words and act."
Scottish Labour Health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “This is yet another blow to our crisis-ridden NHS.
“Like staff across our NHS, junior doctors are exhausted and demoralised after years of SNP mismanagement and neglect.
“They have been bounced from one crisis to another, working tirelessly to paper over the cracks and keep patients safe.
“The least they deserve in return is a fair deal on pay and working conditions.
“The SNP must get round the table to agree a settlement so we can prevent strike chaos and stop this growing workforce crisis.”
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