RESIDENT doctors in Northern Ireland have backed a 4% pay offer from the Department of Health.
Following multiple strikes last year, a referendum of resident doctors (formerly known as junior doctors) in the British Medical Association returned a yes vote of 94.3%.
This will mean a 4% pay uplift to the 2023/24 pay scale.
While consultants in Northern Ireland had already agreed a pay deal last year, differences in contracts for resident doctors compared to their UK counterparts had been a major obstacle in the negotiations.
The deal has now established a timeline for contract reform as well as a rollout of changes to enhance medical education for resident doctors.
PAY REFERENDUM UPDATE!
— BMA NI Resident Doctors Committee (@BMA_NIRDC) January 27, 2025
94.3% of resident doctors in Northern Ireland voted YES to accept the pay offer.
BMA members, check your inboxes for an email update on what happens next. pic.twitter.com/vYA9ObQEE6
Dr Fiona Griffin, chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland resident doctors committee, said: “We are glad that members have accepted our recommendation to accept this pay offer. Taking industrial action was a last resort, but resident doctors could not keep working as they were without financial recognition for the incredible job they are doing under extremely difficult circumstances. We have been undervalued for too long.”
She called the deal the “first step towards full pay restoration,” with the BMA stating that resident doctor pay had been eroded by 30% since 2008.
“We still have a long way to go,” said Dr Griffin.
“Our members are committed to addressing years of pay erosion and making sure that the skills, knowledge and commitment of resident doctors in Northern Ireland is properly recognised.
“We will now work with the Department to address the inadequacies in our current contract and continue to fight for better terms and conditions for resident doctors, alongside restoring our pay to 2008 levels.
“These issues need to be addressed urgently so we don’t lose more doctors from our health service. Our fight continues.”
Welcoming the announcement, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he hoped “a relationship of mutual respect and collaboration” would help deliver better outcomes for the public.
He also said that after extra funds were released in the January monitoring round, he had written to all health and social care trade unions to confirm the department would backdate the 2024/25 pay awards to May 1, 2024.
He said the phased approach to mirroring pay settlements in England reflects the ”severe pressures" on the health budget, but that he was committed to meeting the recommendations of pay review bodies for 2024/25.
“I would have much preferred a quicker, cleaner resolution of this year’s pay position, but financial pressures made that impossible,” he said.
“I have provided assurance to the Health Trade Unions that, all things being equal, I will approve the recommendations of the pay review bodies for 2025/26 pay awards when published.”
The Health Minister has welcomed agreement with resident doctors on a pay package.
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) January 27, 2025
It includes an additional uplift of 4.05% on the existing (23/24) pay points and was approved by BMA NI Resident Doctors’ Committee members.
➡️Read more: https://t.co/yfYwp6gmyK pic.twitter.com/jEOLqFHq5G
Last month, specialist (SAS) doctors in Northern Ireland also accepted a pay offer, with an annual increase of 7.1% for doctors on 2021 contracts, which is in addition to a 6% pay uplift for 2024/25 as recommended by the independent pay review body.
Health workers in the Unison, Nipsa and Unite trade unions had also moved to accept “an enhanced pay offer” with a commitment that pay parity would be maintained for 2024/25 at 5.5%.
