Junior doctors in Scotland have voted for strike action in a dispute over pay.
BMA Scotland said that with more than 5000 junior doctors in Scotland eligible to vote, turnout was in excess of 71%. A total of 3610 votes were cast, and almost 97 percent voted in favour of strike action.
The union said that while negotiations with the Scottish Government over pay are ongoing, BMA Scotland will use this clear mandate for strike action to push forward in its ongoing efforts to reverse the “unacceptable pay erosion” junior doctors in Scotland have suffered for more than a decade.
It said that should the Scottish Government not put forward a credible offer that the BMA believes could be put to members, junior doctors in Scotland would then begin preparations for a 72-hour walkout at dates to be confirmed in due course.
Dr Chris Smith, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish Junior Doctors Committee, said: “This ballot result shows, beyond doubt, that junior doctors in Scotland have had enough.
“Years of pay erosion have seen the take home salary of a newly qualified FY1 doctor decline by 23.5% in real-terms compared to 2008, and the pay of an average registrar reduced by 23.9%.
Source : Daily Record
