As reported by The BMA, the acceptance of the Government’s pay offer marks a significant milestone in consultants’ efforts to restore their pay levels, emphasising the importance of the review body’s independence to prevent future disputes
Committee chair Vishal Sharma said the agreement is ‘the end of the beginning’ in consultants’ efforts to restore their pay to 2008 levels, and stressed it is ‘imperative’ for the review body to utilise its independence to prevent future pay disputes.
83 per cent of consultants who took part in the three-week referendum voted in favour of accepting the offer on behalf of the profession.
This brings to an end the dispute with the Government that has continued for over a year, during which consultants have taken unprecedented industrial action which they voted for twice having not walked out on strike for 50 years.
The deal represents an improvement on an offer that was rejected by consultants in January, after further negotiations between the BMA and the Government since then.
Long-term view
It includes changes to the review body, which the BMA says represents ‘significant progress’ in returning it to its original purpose and independence.
From next year, there will be changes to the way it will appoint members, and the Government will no longer be able to constrain its remit with reference to inflation targets and economic evidence.
The review body’s terms of reference will also be changed to include developments in earnings over time in the context of long-term trends in the wider labour market, comparator professions, and relevant international comparators.
The BMA says these changes mean the review body ‘can no longer ignore the historical losses that doctors have suffered or the fact that countries abroad are competing for UK doctors with the offer of significantly higher salaries’.
The offer also reflects an improvement on the Government’s previous proposal to reform the consultant pay scale.
Be the first to comment