A style of its personal medication! Staff at ‘hypocritical’ British Medical Association will maintain personal 2-day strike in row over pay erosion

Staff employed by the ‘hypocritical’ British Medical Association have voted overwhelmingly to strike after the union awarded them below inflation pay rises.

The union is offering 2.75 per cent while demanding the Government pay resident doctors an extra 26 per cent on top of the 28.9 per cent they have received over the past three years.

Officials say they cannot afford to pay staff more despite the BMA’s latest published accounts showing it has £57million in the bank and £230million of net assets.

BMA members have rejected similar arguments from ministers, who have repeatedly said the country cannot afford to meet the demands of resident doctors.

The medics, previously known as junior doctors, have staged 14 strikes since 2023, the last in the run-up to Christmas.

The repeated industrial action has caused misery for patients who have seen appointments and operations cancelled and care disrupted.

It prompted health secretary Wes Streeting to accuse the ‘morally reprehensible’ BMA of acting like a ‘cartel’ and of trying to hold the country to ransom over their demands.

The GMB union, which represents over three in four BMA staff, said 96 per cent voted in favour of a walkout, with a turnout of 80 per cent.

Resident doctors have staged 14 strikes since 2023, the last in the run-up to Christmas.

The strike will take place for 48 hours, from 00.01 on Friday, March 27.

Since 2012, BMA staff have suffered pay erosion of nearly 17 per cent due to of years of sub-inflationary pay awards, it added.

GMB took the decision to ballot staff after pay talks at conciliation service ACAS failed.

Gavin Davies, GMB senior organiser, said: ‘This ballot result reflects the strength of feeling inside the BMA.

‘Staff are angry and disappointed that the pay deal offered doesn’t match inflation and doesn’t begin to address the real terms pay cut they’ve experienced.

‘BMA staff have tirelessly supported resident doctors in their fight for improved pay.

‘Now it’s their turn to demand a fair pay deal.’

Speaking in November, when the doctor’s union had proposed a 2 per cent pay rise, a GMB rep working at the BMA told the Mail: ‘It is nothing short of hypocritical for the BMA leadership to make their staff a pay offer that they would encourage their own members to reject.’

Health secretary Wes Streeting has accused the ‘morally reprehensible’ BMA of acting like a ‘cartel’ and of trying to hold the country to ransom over their demands for its own members

Another employee said today: ‘Staff at BMA appreciate the many messages of support and solidarity from BMA members in our campaign for fair pay.

‘We just want to focus on supporting BMA members in their campaigns.

‘We hope BMA management can come to the table with a reasonable offer that recognises our efforts and does not represent another year of real terms pay cuts.’

A BMA spokesperson said: ‘We acknowledge the result of the ballot, and we recognise the strength of feeling among our staff and respect their right to take part in a democratic ballot.

‘Our staff play a vital role in supporting the work of the organisation and we value the dedication and professionalism they bring to their roles.

‘We remain committed to negotiations with the GMB to work towards a resolution and want to continue open and meaningful dialogue in the hope of reaching a settlement that is fair to staff and sustainable for the organisation.

‘We had previously increased our original offer to staff to an uplift of 2.75 per cent, plus an additional £1,000 consolidated offer for colleagues in the lower paid grades.

‘This is in addition to enhanced paid paternity leave (4 weeks) and an extra 3 days annual leave, taking the total for 2026 to 34 days plus bank holidays.

‘Given the BMA’s ongoing financial recovery plan, this increased offer puts the Association at the very limit of keeping that recovery on track to give the BMA a sound financial footing for the future.

‘We will now work to ensure we can continue to provide key and critical services for our members during the strike period.

‘We remain committed and open to an ongoing dialogue with our GMB colleagues and hope we can still settle the dispute without any strike action taking place.’