Junior Doctors Across England Plan Six-Day Strike Over Pay Erosion
(MENAFN) Junior doctors across England are set to walk off the job later this month after renewing their mandate for industrial action in their ongoing fight to reverse years of pay erosion.
On Wednesday, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced that junior doctors will carry out a full strike from Friday, 25 July, through Tuesday, 30 July. The announcement follows the conclusion of a six-week ballot that ended on 7 July.
Support for the action was overwhelming—90% of voting members backed further strikes, with voter turnout hitting 55%. Nearly 30,000 junior doctors participated in the ballot, with 26,766 supporting renewed industrial action.
The result extends the junior doctors’ legal mandate to strike until January 2026.
BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs, Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt, said the vote delivered a direct message to ministers.
“Doctors have spoken and spoken clearly: they won’t accept that they are worth a fifth less than they were in 2008. Our pay may have declined, but our will to fight remains strong,” they said.
They called on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to reengage in talks and present a meaningful proposal to address pay concerns.
“Doctors don’t take industrial action lightly – but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away. The next move is the Government’s. Will it repeat the mistakes of its predecessor? Or will it do the right thing and negotiate a path to full pay restoration and the restoration of doctors’ confidence in our profession’s future?”
They continued: “Now we will see if he can once again make the right decision. He needs to come forward as soon as possible with a credible path to pay restoration. All we need is a credible pay offer and nobody need strike.”
According to the BMA, junior doctors' real-terms pay has declined by over 25% since 2008. The union argues that striking has become a last resort for many, faced with mounting frustration over stagnant wages.
The upcoming strike adds to a long-running pay dispute that already resulted in 11 walkouts between 2023 and 2024.
While an agreement was reached with the newly elected Labour government in September 2024, union leaders labeled it merely a “step forward” toward achieving full pay restoration.
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