The union at the heart of the junior doctors’ pay dispute has asked Acas to get involved in breaking the deadlock in its negotiations with the government.
Professor Philip Banfield, chairman of council at the British Medical Association (BMA), told Times Radio that he has been “talking to Acas about the possibility of breaking down some of the preconditions that have been put on the juniors by this government to try and get this dispute resolved as quickly as possible.”
Junior doctors are taking part in a four-day strike over pay this week.
Both sides would have to agree to independent conciliation. Health secretary Steve Barclay has not commented on the potential involvement of Acas.
Junior doctors pay dispute
Acas chief executive, Susan Clews, said the organisation was “well prepared and ready to help”.
“Acas has decades of experience in resolving disputes and we helped the various parties involved in the 2016 junior doctors dispute,” she said.
A survey commissioned by Acas in February found that 76% of employers and 71% of employees think the parties involved in strike action should seek conciliation to help resolve disputes.
The health secretary has suggested that talks with the union would not begin until the BMA dropped its “unreasonable” demand for a 35% pay increase. Such a pay rise would result in some doctors receiving a pay rise of “over £20,000”, Barclay said.
Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the BMA’s junior doctor committee, said the health secretary has had since October to put a credible offer on the table to avert strike action.
“We have always maintained our aim is for full pay restoration – to reverse the more than 26% real terms pay cuts Mr Barclay’s government have imposed on us over the past 15 years putting starting salaries up by just £5 per hour to £19. We have always maintained we are willing to negotiate on how to achieve pay restoration, so for Mr Barclay to suggest we had any preconditions is yet again disingenuous,” he said.
“The reality is that the health secretary has had every opportunity to bring an end to the dispute. His decision to refuse to table a credible offer, indeed he has not tabled a single offer so far, means that this action is solely due to this government’s repeated inaction. We would still be willing to suspend strike action this week if the Secretary of State makes a credible offer that can be the basis of negotiation.”
In March the BMA accepted an invitation from the government to enter into pay talks on the same terms as other health unions.
The Department of Health and Social Care said last month: “We want to find a fair settlement which recognises the crucial role of junior doctors and the wider economic pressures facing the UK, as we have done with other unions.”
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Nurses, ambulance workers, midwives and physiotherapists are now considering a pay offer of 5% from April, alongside a £1,655 one-off payment to top up the past year’s pay award.
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