Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 28, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleResident doctors in England may extend their strike mandate due to ongoing pay disputes. The BMA will ballot members from December 2025 to February 2026.
LONDON (Reuters) -Resident doctors in England will vote on whether to extend their mandate to carry out strikes, a union representing them said on Friday, as a long-running dispute with the government over pay and conditions continues.
The British Medical Association said it would ballot its members from December 8, 2025 to February 2, 2026 to extend the mandate, which is set to expire in January, by another six months.
Resident doctors, previously known as junior doctors, carried out five days of strike actions this month and another five-day walkout in July after the government said it could not meet their demands for an improved pay deal this year.
The BMA says the government's 5.4% pay offer does not address years of salary erosion in real terms, while the government says the deal is fair and affordable.
Last year the newly elected Labour government quickly reached a settlement with the doctors for a 22% pay rise as part of its pledge to fix the National Health Service and in hopes to draw a line under the long-running dispute.
The BMA has been seeking a 29% rise this year to restore pay to 2008 levels. Health minister Wes Streeting wrote to the union this month stressing the "enormous financial pressures facing the country mean I am not able to go further on pay".
(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Alistair Smout)
Salary erosion refers to the decrease in the purchasing power of wages over time, often due to inflation or stagnant pay rates, which can lead to a decline in real income for workers.
A walkout is a form of protest where employees leave their workplace to express dissatisfaction with working conditions, pay, or other issues. It is often organized by unions as a tactic to gain leverage in negotiations.
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