Resident doctors in Scotland to go on strike for the first time

Resident doctors in Scotland are to go on strike over a pay dispute – the first time NHS workers have staged a national strike.

Its union BMA Scotland accused the government of reneging on its commitment to restore wages to 2008 levels.

With 92% of votes in favor, the strike dates were set from 07:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 13, to 07:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 17, 2026.

Health Secretary Neil Gray expressed disappointment at the outcome, adding that he had offered to meet the president of BMA Scotland on Monday.

BMA Scotland previously said it still believed a solution could be found and had called on the Scottish Government to return to the negotiating table and present a “credible offer”.

Resident doctors, previously called junior doctors, make up almost half of the medical workforce in Scotland.

They range from newly qualified doctors to those with up to 10 years of experience.

Gray said: “Resident doctors in Scotland have received a 4.25% pay rise this year, as part of a two-year deal – the same as nurses and other NHS staff agreed to.

“This means that by 2027 we will have achieved a cumulative salary increase of 35% over four years.

“Our top priority for our patients and workforce is to improve waiting times, access to the NHS and positive outcomes. Industrial action will put all that progress at risk.”

Scotland had been the only part of the UK to avoid a strike by NHS workers.

With 5,185 Scottish resident doctors eligible to vote, turnout was 58% with a total of 3,008 votes cast.

A strike in the summer of 2023 was called off at the last minute after reaching an agreement.

As part of that, BMA Scotland said the government committed to making “credible progress” to restore wages to 2008 levels in each of the next three financial years.

A series of strikes by resident doctors in England has led to the cancellation of thousands of operations and procedures.

An ongoing five-day strike is causing further disruption and has been described as “dangerous and absolutely irresponsible” by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Any strike in Scotland would be a blow to the Scottish Government’s promise to end long waits for procedures and appointments by March 2026 and would put even more pressure on an overstretched NHS in an election year.

Dr Chris Smith, chair of the BMA resident doctors committee, said: “The result of this vote shows that resident doctors in Scotland are united by anger that the Scottish Government broke the deal they agreed on pay just two years ago.

“This is not where we wanted to be. However, we have sent a message loud and clear: the government cannot blatantly fail to meet its commitments without expecting to be held to account.

“Instead of negotiating with resident doctors to make credible progress towards restoring salaries, as they have agreed to do, they have imposed a pay rise that is the lowest average award received by resident doctors anywhere in the UK.”

He said the deal the Scottish Government agreed in 2023 was the only reason the strike had been avoided.

“This worked for doctors and the health service,” he said. “By turning its back on this deal, the Scottish Government is forcing a dispute and knowingly putting Scotland’s NHS at risk of a disruptive strike.”

Dr Smith said there was still time to avoid strikes.

“BMA Scotland resident doctors will remain committed to the agreement when it is fully respected,” he said.

“If we don’t take a stand now that the government has reneged on a commitment agreed in good faith, they will take it as a license to do so again and again, including on issues such as contract negotiations and more training jobs for resident doctors as part of future medical workforce planning.

“This matters not just for doctors, but for patients and for the future of the whole NHS in Scotland, which depends on today’s resident doctors staying here and becoming tomorrow’s GPs, specialist doctors and consultants.”

The Scottish Government’s two-year offer was for a 4.25% increase in 2025/26 and 3.75% in 26/27.

It is the same offer that nurses, paramedics and other NHS workers accepted earlier this year.

BMA Scotland said it would have been the lowest in the UK and less than recommended by the independent pay review body.

The current offer would see the basic salary of a newly qualified doctor rise from £34,500 to £37,345 by 2026/27 and that of a doctor with 10 years’ experience to rise from £71,549 to £77,387.

Doctors are often expected to work night shifts, weekends, or longer days, for which they will receive additional pay.