England’s Resident Doctors Approve Pay Deal, Bringing Strikes to an End

Resident doctors in England have voted in favour of a new pay and conditions agreement, ending a year of strike action across the National Health Service (NHS).

The UK government said the deal includes an average 6.6 percent pay rise to be introduced by April 2027.

Under the agreement, doctors’ earnings will be more than 35 percent higher on average than they were four years ago, according to the Department of Health.

The package also provides for 4,500 additional specialty training positions over the next three years.

Health Secretary James Murray described the agreement as positive news for both healthcare workers and patients.

“This is very good news for resident doctors, patients and the NHS as a whole,” Murray said.

He added that the agreement would help authorities “draw a line under the disruption” caused by recent strike actions and focus on rebuilding the health service.

Resident doctors below consultant level have carried out 15 strikes in just over three years, including 21 days of industrial action since July last year.

The Labour government, which came to power in July 2024 after defeating the Conservatives, had promised to resolve the dispute.

Doctors had argued that inflation had significantly reduced the real value of their pay, leading to demands for higher wages.

A planned four-day strike due to begin on June 15 was cancelled two days earlier after the government tabled the latest offer.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last week, is expected to step down in mid-July.

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