BMA Defends Junior Doctor Strikes: Pay Still “Way Down” Since 2008

The British Medical Association (BMA) has defended its latest round of junior doctor strikes, set to begin on Friday, arguing that doctors’ pay remains far below 2008 levels and that the government has failed to complete its promise of full pay restoration.

BMA chair Dr Tom Dolphin told Sky News that the long-running dispute stems from years of pay erosion that have left junior doctors lagging behind other public sector workers. “When we began this dispute, the lowest-paid junior doctors were earning around £14 an hour,” he said. “There have been some increases in recent years, which have helped, but we’re still not where we should be.”

He noted that Health Secretary Wes Streeting had described pay restoration as “a journey,” but said no further progress had been made. When asked if the disagreement was purely about money, Dr Dolphin replied, “In a sense, yes — the secretary of state either cannot or will not fund pay to the level it was in 2008.”

Dr Dolphin argued that while wages across the wider economy have largely recovered since the 2008 financial crash, doctors’ pay has not. The government maintains that last year’s 29% pay deal — one of the biggest in the public sector — was meant to end the strikes, but Dr Dolphin said it still fell short. “Doctors had suffered the biggest pay loss and needed the most restoration,” he added.

He also defended the BMA’s use of the Retail Price Index (RPI) to calculate real-terms pay losses, despite the Office for National Statistics no longer endorsing it, saying RPI “better represents the costs people actually face.”

With Chancellor Rachel Reeves preparing a tight budget, Dr Dolphin said the BMA is not asking for an immediate payout. “We’re happy with a multi-year deal that restores pay gradually and ends this dispute for good,” he explained. “Spending on the NHS boosts the wider economy — every pound invested returns several more.”

Responding to criticism that the £1.7 billion cost of previous strikes could have gone to patient care, he said, “Who do you think treats the cancer patients? It’s the doctors.”

Dr Dolphin acknowledged that the strikes will cause disruption and may test public patience but stressed that the government had left doctors with no alternative. “It frustrates everyone when a dispute drags on,” he said. “I don’t want patients to suffer. Of course it’s upsetting — and I’m sorry it’s come to this.”