Why are consultants balloting on strike action?

In recent months NHS consultants in England have been supporting their junior doctor colleagues who have been on strike over their pay and conditions. But senior doctors could soon be joining them: on 15 May the BMA launched a ballot of consultants in England to determine whether they will take industrial action over their pay and pensions.1 Vishal Sharma, the chair of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, spoke to The BMJ about what had led them to this point.What are consultants asking for?The BMA has said that consultants in England have seen their take home pay cut by 35% since 2008-09. It has called on the government to end this pay erosion—beginning with an agreement on the 2023-24 pay award—and to commit itself to a mechanism to redress the long term reduction in consultants’ pay.Sharma told The BMJ, “In simple terms we are asking for our pay not to be cut…
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