Hospital doctors rule out strike action
The BMA has ruled out strike action at hospitals in Scotland this winter.
The announcement was made following a meeting of the BMA’s UK Council in London.
The decision not to proceed with strike action was taken following the results of ballots of hospital doctors in Scotland.
Although 72.92% of junior doctors and 52.4% of staff and associate specialists who voted in the ballots said that they were willing to take strike action, the overall level of support in the ballot was insufficient to mount effective action.
Ballots of consultant and public health doctors did not provide a legal mandate for the strike action proposed.
Doctors’ leaders said it remained clear that their members remain angry.
They also warned that trust in the Scottish Government had been seriously undermined as a result of the changes to the NHS pension scheme in Scotland.
Dr Brian Keighley, Chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said: "It is clear from the ballot result that although we don’t have a clear overall mandate for strike action, doctors are angry about the way the Scottish Government has handled plans to change NHS pensions.
"Doctors do not understand why, when the Scottish Government is so opposed to the pension reforms being led by the UK Government, they are implementing aspects of them in Scotland where they have the devolved authority to do something different, primarily on employee contributions.
"The Scottish Government must recognise that through the failure to act on their words of opposition, ministers have damaged trust amongst NHS staff.
"Although we are not taking industrial action, we will continue to lobby and campaign against the unfairness of these pension changes and we will work with the other NHS unions to press for meaningful negotiations in Scotland."
