The British Medical Association (BMA) announced on Monday, December 15, 2025, that its junior doctors in England have decisively rejected the latest pay offer presented by the government. This rejection confirms that the planned industrial action, which has seen repeated strikes over the past two years, is set to go ahead. The medical union confirmed that its members had voted against the deal following a ballot. The BMA has been negotiating with the government in pursuit of full pay restoration for junior doctors, whose real-terms earnings have significantly eroded over the last 15 years, reports The WP Times citing Reuters.
The results of the ballot revealed that a substantial majority of the doctors voted against accepting the proposal. The BMA Junior Doctors Committee (JDC) co-chairs, Dr. Robert Laurenson and Dr. Vivek Trivedi, issued a joint statement following the rejection. They emphasized that the offer fell far short of what was required to address the profound pay erosion and the escalating staffing crisis gripping the National Health Service (NHS). The pair underscored that junior doctors are not only striking for fair pay but also for the future viability of the NHS, highlighting the need to retain medical professionals in the UK.
The latest offer put forth by the government included a revised pay increase of 3% for junior doctors in England, which was contingent upon the doctors agreeing to suspend all strike action until the new calendar year. However, the BMA maintained that this proposal, which came after several months of tense negotiations, failed to provide a credible pathway toward achieving full pay restoration—a key demand of the union. The BMA insists that junior doctors have experienced a real-terms pay cut exceeding 26% since 2008.
The confirmed industrial action is poised to impact a health service already strained by historical backlogs and rising demand. The walkouts, which involve doctors in the early stages of their careers, typically lead to significant disruption, with thousands of routine appointments and non-urgent procedures having to be postponed or cancelled. The union’s decision to proceed with the strikes signals an ongoing stalemate between the medical profession and the government regarding the funding and staffing of the NHS.
Read about the life of Westminster and Pimlico district, London and the world. 24/7 news with fresh and useful updates on culture, business, technology and city life: Ukraine war: Zelensky releases video of long-range Neptune missile launch into Russia
