Consultants vote for strike action in NI

Senior doctors in Northern Ireland have voted to take strike action.

The result of the five-week ballot will see consultants preparing to take part in a 24-hour walk out from 26 to 27 June.

The decision has been voted for as part of a long-running dispute over pay.

Of those balloted, 92% voted in favour of going on strike, the British Medical Association (BMA) said, adding that the current workforce is likely to get worse.

There was a 69% turnout for the ballot.

The BMA said pay for consultants has fallen by “over 30%” since 2008/2009 whereas consultants in England have recently accepted a new pay offer.

It added that consultants in Ireland are currently paid double what consultants in Northern Ireland earn.

The Department of Health said pay discussions “have been continuing” with the BMA.

“Further engagement is planned this week and will focus on pay issues, including the settlement in England.”

A spokesperson continued: “The escalating budgetary pressures facing the health service and the wider public sector have been well documented and have been commented upon publicly by the BMA in recent weeks.”

Speaking after the ballot result, Dr Farren, from the BMA, said the health minister needs to take action now to facilitate a pay offer:

“Our health service cannot run without doctors. Consultants are ultimately responsible for the care of patients, they train the doctors of the future, they innovate, research and lead. They need to be properly rewarded for what they do.

“This should be a resounding message to the health minister that he needs to act,” he added.

The BMA said it has about 1200 consultant members, but 2012 WTE (whole time equivalent) consultants working in NI are eligible to strike.

Junior doctors in Northern Ireland took strike action in March for the first time in a dispute over pay.