GPs to enter into talks with government over pension reforms as immediate industrial reaction called off

DOCTORS have voted to suspend further strike action as part of their continued battle against pension reforms.

The British Medical Association announced yesterday that it was going to join other

health unions in talks with the government on changes to the NHS pension scheme.

The announcement comes less than a month after doctors voted for “stronger” strike action at the BMA’s annual conference, which would have seen them stay at home, rather than go to their place of work, as part of

industrial action.

The BMA’s newly appointed council chair, Mark Porter, said: “We have not ruled out taking further industrial action in the future, and we are committed to continuing to fight for a fairer deal in the longer term.”

Dr Porter said since the union went on strike on 21 June – the first time doctors had taken industrial action in almost 40 years – the government had written to health unions to begin talks to review the impact of the reforms.

Doctors are angry the changes will see younger doctors paying more than £200,000 extra over their lifetime in pension contributions and working eight years longer, to 68.

The highest-earning doctors’ contributions would rise to 14.5 per cent – which is far higher than contributions made by judges and politicians, they said.

There is a growing lack of support among members of the public to the grievance, with many people saying doctors are already among the highest-paid pubic-sector workers with the average Scottish doctor earning between £65,000 and £85,000.

Speaking after the BMA Council met in Edinburgh yesterday to discuss its next steps, Dr

Porter said the profession would far prefer to seek change “by

negotiation and lobbying”, than by industrial action.