A planned four-day strike by junior doctors in England has been suspended following a fresh government proposal on pay, employment and career development.
The action, coordinated by the British Medical Association, was scheduled to start at 7 am on 15 June and end at 6:59 am on 19 June. It would have marked the sixteenth such stoppage by junior doctors since 2023.
The association stated that members will now ballot on the new offer reached after renewed talks with ministers.
Health Secretary James Murray welcomed the suspension and noted that further pay rises beyond those already granted could not be justified. He pointed out that resident doctors have received a 28.9 percent increase over three years and said the country cannot afford additional rises this year. Progress has instead been made on training posts and working conditions.
The proposal includes standard 2016 contract terms for locally employed doctors and an average 6.6 percent pay rise to be fully applied by April 2027.
BMA resident doctors committee chair Dr Jack Fletcher said the union remains open to talks but warned that further action could follow if members reject the deal. He noted that strikes are always a last resort and that the government had altered its position at the eleventh hour.
The cancelled strike would have occurred during a period of high NHS demand. NHS England had previously warned of a “triple whammy” of pressure from the walkout, warm weather and the World Cup.
Although the immediate dispute has eased, the BMA said the strike mandate stays in force until August and further action remains possible if the offer is rejected. Separate ballots continue among consultants and SAS doctors in England, while members in Northern Ireland have already approved strikes over a 3.5 percent offer.
