As we reach the end of the financial year 2023/24, it’s worth reflecting that the BMA’s Scottish Junior Doctors’ Committee (SJDC) remains the only Branch of Practice to have reached a negotiated pay award with their government. Admittedly last year it went right to the wire and only an 11th-hour settlement allowed us to take what was an essential first step towards Pay Restoration.
In Northern Ireland, a historic first strike has brought their new Assembly to the table. In Wales, our peers are continuing to stand up for our worth after 3 sets of strikes so far. And we all know about the bitter disdain that the Westminster Government is showing our colleagues down in England, and in the process wasting health service money on an ideological and economically illiterate stance that avoids settling the dispute for Full Pay restoration. Needless to say, SJDC supports all of our colleagues in this fight.
The fact that we were the only nation in the UK to avoid industrial action was never a foregone conclusion. Nor are strikes ever off the table – in particular if the Scottish Government try to renege on any part of the agreement we reached last year or if they fail to follow up that first step with more credible progress in this year’s settlement on pay. Last year we put our reservations to one side and showed faith in the framework that touted a mutual path towards Pay Restoration, as we know that this is of paramount importance to get doctors feeling valued again.
Now it’s time to take the next steps on that path, something that is becoming increasingly obviously overdue every passing week. We have made good headway in defining the terms of our contract renegotiation, and setting the stage for reforming our pay bargaining so that we can move beyond the broken current form of the DDRB.
But, despite this undoubtable progress, SJDC’s negotiating team (like I suspect an increasing number of our wider membership) are feeling increasingly frustrated that the most important and pressing issue is only slightly further forward than in the summer of 2023; Full Pay Restoration remains the most important goal for our members, and we are all expecting the Government to continue delivering on the commitments they made last July.
If we allow for the obvious delays associated with a change in Cabinet Secretary there are some positive signs from the Scottish Government, and Ministers have not forgotten the gravity of our situation. I have already met with Neil Gray after his appointment, and to his credit he immediately and clearly recognised how important the path to path restoration is for doctors in Scotland and made all the right noises about being committed to upholding last summer’s deal and to respecting it. In our meeting he was clear that he is aware of the pressures that we and our NHS faces every single day. He is also aware of the need to make NHS Scotland a place of choice for doctors to work and train.
The only way to demonstrate this, though, is with credible progress towards Pay Restoration, and soon. With inflation from last year baked into everyday costs of living and training, we will need a substantial real-terms increase to start to get back to the pay we deserve: which ultimately and as acknowledged in the deal is no less than the real-terms pay that our colleagues received in 2008.
We are still bearing the brunt of our pay erosion, and the longer its allowed to linger the more difficult it is to pay for things like our exams, let alone our essentials. Through a negotiated pay uplift for 2024/25 there is the opportunity to reassure doctors that last year’s award wasn’t simply a stop-gap political expediency to stave off a strike at all costs, but finally the recognition of how our skills and responsibilities should be fairly remunerated.
We are a profession that holds the NHS together whilst sacrificing so much of ourselves. We are absolutely committed to holding the Government to account on the agreements they have made. It’s obvious to anyone that if there is any hint of taking for granted our willingness to work together on Pay Restoration, the Scottish Government would be letting down thousands of medical staff and would undoubtedly face even stronger anger than before our last dispute.
However, to be clear, there are not currently any indications that this is where we are heading in April 2024. I’m optimistic we can get down to the real business of negotiation soon – but we are running out of time. It is vital the Scottish Government demonstrates soon that our demands are understood, and that our good faith is being met with equivalence from our employers, educators, and parliamentarians.
SJDC will continue to advocate in the strongest terms for Full Pay Restoration for doctors. Right now, our profession needs to be ready for any eventuality and, based on what we’ve achieved over the past 18 months, your willingness to act to protect the future of the profession and the NHS is at least one thing at least that has never been in any doubt. Expect more updates from me, no matter how the next few months play out. Update your details to make sure you don’t miss out, and so that you can make your voice heard as we enter this next crucial stage of restoring our pay.
Dr Chris Smith is Chair of BMA Scotland’s Junior Doctor Committee
bmascotland.home.blog 