Consultants threaten strike action

Following hard on the heels of health union Unison's strike threat yesterday, NHS consultants have today threatened to down tools if the government does not rethink its approach on pay negotiations.

At today's annual conference of consultants, representatives voted overwhelmingly to call on the BMA to ballot members in England on industrial action if no announcement of a timetable for negotiation for a new consultant contract is forthcoming.

This follows yesterday’s announcement from Unison’s General Secretary, Dave Prentis, who threatened strike action if the government fails to properly fund its public service reforms.

Speaking at the conference, Chairman of the Central Consultants and Specialists Committee (CCSC), Dr Paul Miller, appealed to the newly appointed Secretary of State for Health, Dr John Reid, to talk to the BMA and resolve the current impasse.

He said: "Dr Reid has a golden opportunity to work with us and develop a contract that is good news for patients, the health service and consultants. The differences between consultants and the government are not so great and they can be worked out.

"Consultants do not want to take industrial action. They are committed professionals who have trained for years to become doctors and treat patients.”

Dr Miller added: “I hope that Dr Reid agrees to meet with us and discuss the current crisis and how we can resolve it."

Last October, consultants rejected by two-to-one a new government contract, and since then the government has not opened up any renegotiations.

Union leaders now say that if the current stalemate continues, consultants will take industrial action for the first time ever.

However, in a statement today, Dr Reid said: "I have looked carefully at the offer made to consultants in the contract that the BMA agreed last year with the health department and I see no reason to renegotiate that generous deal.”

Yet the CCSM chairman remained confident that there was still time to resolve the deadlock.

"Even now, there is no reason why we cannot make progress with the new health secretary to achieve quickly a sensible outcome to our contract problem," he said.

"We have never left the discussion table and it is time for the Department of Health to rejoin us."

(MM)