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World
British junior doctors have paused their planned strikes after the government presented a last-minute pay offer to be voted on by union members.
The British Medical Association announced on Saturday that junior doctors in England will suspend their upcoming strikes, originally scheduled to begin in a few days, following a last-minute offer from the government. This offer will be put to a vote among union members.
The union stated that the committee representing junior doctors in Britain will conduct a referendum on the new proposal. Consequently, the strikes planned to start on June 15 will be suspended during the voting period.
The new government proposal includes an average pay increase of 6.6% by April 2027, along with a recommendation from the Pay Review Body for this year, followed by an additional raise.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the Association of Junior Doctors in England had announced planned strikes by its members aimed at improving working conditions.
Jack Fletcher, chair of the committee, said, "We have always been clear that there is no need to continue strikes if we receive a suitable offer to present to our members." He added that members will assess the offer based on whether it addresses the issues of doctor unemployment and wage erosion.
The strikes, currently suspended by junior doctors, were initially set to last from June 15 to June 19. The union had previously stated that Health Secretary James Murray had failed to improve the pay offer, which doctors had already rejected.
