Consultants in England begin ballot on industrial action

The BMA has launched a consultative ballot of consultants in England to gauge their appetite for industrial action over their pay and pensions.The association estimates that the average consultant in England has had a real terms cut in take home pay of nearly 35% since 2008-09, even before the current rate of inflation has been taken into account. The BMA said that, as a result, consultants were effectively working four months of the year for free.The ballot is not legally binding, but the outcome will help steer the BMA on whether to proceed with a statutory ballot on industrial action.In a statement issued as the ballot opened on 15 May, Vishal Sharma, chair of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, said, “We have spent the past few weeks in talks with the government, working right up to the last minute to secure a solution to address the huge loss in pay experienced…
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