Skip to content

Resident doctors vote to accept 4% pay rise

BBC Four people - three men and a woman - are holding orange and white signs outside a hospital. On three of the signs it reads 'pay restoration for doctors', and the fourth sign reads '£15/hour is not a fair wage for a junior doctor'.BBC
Resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - went on strike across Northern Ireland last May over the pay dispute

Resident doctors in Northern Ireland have voted to accept a 4% pay rise.

Their union, the British Medical Association (BMA), said almost 95% of members backed the deal.

Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors before the name was changed last year, refers to qualified doctors working in GP practices and hospitals. Some are recently out of medical school, while others have a decade of experience.

The deal includes an agreement with the Department of Health to establish a timeline for contract reform and the rollout of changes to enhance medical education for resident doctors.

Dr Fiona Griffin, chair of the BMA's Northern Ireland resident doctors committee, said their members had been "undervalued for too long".

"This pay agreement is the first step towards full pay restoration. We still have a long way to go," she said.

"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."

PA Media A crowd of junior doctors wearing orange reflective vests and holding signs walk up the hill at Stormont as they stage a protest in the midst of their walkout.PA Media
During a walkout in June, resident doctors staged a protest outside Stormont

The base starting salary in 2023/24 for a resident doctor was about £29,500, however after the uplift in 2024/25 this will be about £33,600.

Resident doctors took strike action three times last year over pay.

The first 24-hour walkout was in March, with two 48-hour actions in May and June.

Pay deal for healthcare workers

Meanwhile, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has confirmed that a pay deal for healthcare workers can now be backdated to 1 May 2024.

He said he had written to the Health and Social Care (HSC) trade unions about the move, which was made possible by the outcome of the January monitoring round.

Monitoring rounds are designed to reallocate available money to various departments within the NI Executive.

The 2024/25 pay package will see the restoration of pay parity with England for health and social care staff covered by the Agenda for Change framework, said the department.