Doctors in Wales enter formal dispute over pay and training freeze

Resident doctors in Wales have escalated a pay row with the Welsh Government by entering a formal dispute.

The BMA’s Welsh Resident Doctors Committee (WRDC) has voted unanimously to enter a formal trade dispute over the latest Welsh Government pay offer.

The offer of 3.5%, announced on 25 March, was made alongside the confirmation that the government has frozen the number of specialty training places for this year.

In an extraordinary meeting this month, the committee voted in favour of a trade dispute as part of their long-term strategy to achieve full pay restoration for doctors.

 Since 2009, doctors have seen a “real terms pay cut of almost a third due to consistent below inflation pay awards”, according to BMA Cymru.

Dr Thomas Grother and Dr Will Atkins, co-chairs of the BMA’s Welsh Resident Doctor Committee said “Despite reassurances made by the Welsh Government to restore our pay, we were awarded with an insulting 3.5% pay award which is set to significantly stifle progress towards restoring our pay and further demoralise the workforce.

“The decision to freeze the number of specialty training places has also been a devastating blow to the hundreds of doctors trying to develop their careers in Wales.”

Specialty training, which begins in August each year, enables doctors to develop their skills in a particular area of medicine after two or more years of general training following graduation so that they are able to progress their careers and provide specialist care to patients.

Dr Grother continued: “Before more doctors choose to leave to work where they are better valued, we must act and that is why we have voted to enter this dispute.

“To retain doctors, the next Welsh Government must proceed with urgency to expand specialty training numbers and deliver a pay award that makes a significant step towards pay restoration.

“We are willing to work constructively with the incoming government, but we will remain ready to escalate to a ballot for industrial action if progress is not forthcoming.”

The Welsh Government was contacted for comment.