Northern Ireland Doctors Strike Over Pay: 90% of Services Operational

Consultants and specialist doctors in Northern Ireland staged their first industrial action over pay concerns on Thursday, cancelling some routine services while maintaining full emergency coverage.

The 24-hour walkout, which ran from 7:00 BST Thursday to 7:00 BST Friday, saw no picket lines despite what BMA Northern Ireland consultants committee chair Dr David Farren described as a "palpable sense of anger" among hospital doctors. While the Department of Health reported that 90% of scheduled services proceeded as planned, several trusts reported disruptions.

The Southern Trust rescheduled 143 outpatient appointments and 11 surgeries. The South Eastern Trust’s Lagan Valley Hospital urgent care centre was closed during the strike. The Northern Trust postponed five day procedures, 62 outpatient appointments, and 64 radiology appointments. The Belfast Trust reported postponing 569 outpatient appointments and 114 day cases, warning of "significant disruption" and advising affected patients would be contacted directly. The Western Trust cancelled or postponed 321 appointments, including inpatients, outpatients, and day cases.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt expressed disappointment over the strike but reaffirmed his commitment to implementing the recommended 3.5% pay uplift. However, he noted he was currently unable to do so due to the absence of an agreed budget. "If I could give them more than 3.5%, then I would be very happy to do so," Nesbitt said. He added that all executive ministers were constrained by budgetary concerns.

The strike follows a four-week BMA ballot in which 92% of resident doctors, 79% of consultants, and 90% of specialty doctors voted in favor of industrial action, citing what they described as "over 18 years of pay erosion." A second 24-hour walkout is scheduled for Monday, June 29.

BMA representatives will meet with the chair and deputy chair of the assembly’s health committee at Stormont on Thursday to discuss the pay dispute. Dr Farren emphasized that Northern Ireland’s doctors are paid less than their counterparts in England, Scotland, and Wales, arguing that the minister’s offer does not achieve parity. "It is quite clear that doctors in Northern Ireland are paid less than those in England, Scotland, and Wales," he stated. "What the minister means by parity is that we get the same uplift as everyone else, but we don’t start on the same footing."

Dr Farren also highlighted the impact on staffing, noting that doctors leaving the service forces remaining staff to work additional hours, contributing to burnout. Deputy BMA NI Council chair Dr Clodagh Corrigan called the decision to strike "very difficult," while SAS committee chair Dr Leanne Davison condemned the reliance on "goodwill" from frontline staff, stating that doctors are increasingly leaving or reducing hours due to pay erosion.

Nesbitt reiterated that exceeding the 3.5% pay uplift would have "significant repercussions" for other public sector workers, including nurses, teachers, and police officers. He reaffirmed his commitment to delivering the recommended pay award for health service colleagues despite budgetary shortfalls.