Scottish resident doctors have called off industrial action after the government offered a £133m pay and contract deal, pending a union vote.
Planned strike action by resident doctors, originally scheduled for next week, has been cancelled. The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents resident doctors, will now ballot members on the new £133m government offer.
The deal would provide pay increases averaging around 8% over two years. It mirrors a similar offer that’s already been accepted by other NHS staff, including nurses, midwives and paramedics.
Resident doctors had previously voted in December 2025 to strike in a pay dispute; however, Dr Chris Smith, chair of the Scottish resident doctor committee, said the union was recommending members accept the offer.
Dr Smith said: ‘Our view is that substantial investment proposed continues the progress made to reverse the pay erosion resident doctors have suffered since 2008. Coming in the shape of new funding into our contract means that if accepted, this deal embeds improvements for doctors for the future.
‘It will provide much-needed impetus into delivering a new contract for resident doctors that was a key part of the deal agreed with the Scottish government in 2023.’
Health secretary Neil Gray welcomed the decision to cancel strikes, calling it ‘great news’.
‘This avoids the cancelled operations and disruption to patient care that no-one, including resident doctors, wanted to see,’ Gray said. ‘Days of intensive and constructive talks have got us here and I thank the BMA and my team for getting us to this point.
‘The combined offer will see the same pay deal that nurses and NHS support staff agreed. It also includes additional investment in contractual reform over the same period, providing a total investment of £133m over this time.
‘It further underlines our commitment to the 2023 pay and contract reform agreement. I hope resident doctors will now vote to accept.’
The strike would have marked the first national walkout by resident doctors. They have long campaigned for higher pay, citing almost two decades of wage erosion.
Dr Smith continued: ‘From day one of this dispute, we’ve been clear that strike action was a last resort, so we are pleased that after a period of intense negotiations, we have agreed an offer which we believe now faithfully delivers on the deal we made with the Scottish government nearly three years ago.
‘Ultimately, this offer is a vote of confidence in, and a signal of the vital importance of, resident doctors. It is an investment in the future of the NHS workforce and will be good for doctors, but also for patients… There can be no complacency even if the vote goes in favour of this deal… But it shows yet again the undeniable fact that we are not worth less than we were 18 years ago.’
Although a timescale has not yet been confirmed, union members will now be asked to vote on whether to accept the offer.
Image: Efraimstochter/Pixabay
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