Consultants’ strike in England is called off as union “pauses” action

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Consultants in England have paused a planned two-day strike after the British Medical Association agreed to enter formal negotiations with the government over pay and working conditions. The union says consultants’ real-terms pay has fallen substantially over 17 years and has raised concerns about workloads and conditions.

Consultants in England have called off their two day strike later this month after the BMA agreed to enter formal negotiations with the government on pay and working conditions.The BMA’s Consultants Committee has been in dispute with the government since May 2025. In July this year consultants voted for strike action unless an improved offer was made.1 The existing pay offer would raise pay by only 2.4% in 2027-28.2However, after the committee met on 10 November, members agreed to “pause” planned action on 25 and 26 November3 to allow negotiations to take place.The BMA had been seeking “meaningful progress” on consultants’ real term pay cuts, “increasingly unsustainable” workloads, and worsening working conditions, the union said. Union representatives say that consultants have lost a quarter of their pay in real terms over the past 17 years.Helen Neary and Shanu Datta, co-chairs of the BMA Consultants Committee, said, “We’ve always said strikes...