Consultant doctors in England are to stage a two-day strike next month in a dispute over pay and working conditions.
The walkout will begin on November 25 at 6:59 am GMT, with consultants staffing emergency care only. The arrangement, known as Christmas Day cover, is likely to have a major impact on most routine and elective or planned services.
The announcement comes after talks with the government over the past month, following a vote in favour of strike action by British Medical Association members in July.
Consultants, the most senior doctors in the NHS, were given a 3.5 per cent pay increase this year.
However, the BMA argues that pay has fallen by a quarter over the past 17 years, once inflation is taken into account.
The union is also seeking a reduction in the standard working week from 40 to 35 hours, higher pay for out-of-hours work and changes to pensions, including greater flexibility over when they can be taken.
In a joint statement, BMA consultants committee co-chairs Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta said they had tried to negotiate with the government in “good faith”, but “time-and-time again ministers have kicked the can down the road”.
“Unfortunately, that road has now run out, and we have been forced to announce strikes.
“Consultants take their responsibilities incredibly seriously, and striking does not come naturally, but we are hearing loud and clear from the profession that they have had enough.”
According to the BBC, consultants’ average earnings exceed £150,000 a year. Basic pay starts at £113,500, with the most experienced earning £150,500, while many receive additional payments and awards.
In the strike ballot, 76 per cent of consultants who took part voted in favour of industrial action, with just over half of eligible BMA members participating.
The government said this represented only around one in five consultants employed by the NHS in England, noting that nearly half were not BMA members.
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government had been in “constructive discussions” with the BMA, adding that it was “disappointing” that strike dates had been announced.
She said taking strike action would be “irresponsible” and “place the health service under even greater pressure”.
The government estimates that meeting all the BMA’s demands would cost between £2bn and £3bn a year.
The announcement comes as consultants and other doctors are taking part in strike action in Northern Ireland during November.
Consultants last took strike action in England in 2023. The long-running dispute involving resident doctors in England ended earlier this year after more than three years of intermittent strike action.