Junior doctors north of the border are “standing up for the future of the NHS” by voting for strike action, the chairman of BMA Scotland has said.

The union has confirmed that three days of strike action will take place on July 12-15 unless an improved offer is made, after members rejected the latest pay offer.

The Scottish Government offered a 14.5% pay increase over two years but BMA Scotland said it was rejected by 71.1% of those who voted on a 66.3% turnout.

Dr Chris Smith, chairman of the union’s Scottish junior doctor committee, said an improved offer would be a “down payment on the future of the NHS” to make sure it stays an effective health service.

Dr Smith said doctors recognise there will be disruption and that strike action is an “absolute last resort”.

He said consultants and specialty doctors will be covering the work of junior doctors.

Dr Smith told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “We do recognise that appointments will be cancelled, and operations will be cancelled and that’s why we’ve called on the Government to come back with a better offer to avoid this if we can but, if not, junior doctors are clear – we are standing up for the future of the NHS, the future of our profession by taking this absolute resort of strike action.”

Dr Smith said that junior doctors are the “backbone of the NHS” and that a better offer is needed to address years of pay erosion.

Commenting on the Scottish Government offer, he said: “Since 2008 we’ve had a real terms pay cut of 28.5% so this didn’t even come close to bringing us back to where we were 15 years ago.

“Over the two years that would have entrenched the pay erosion that we’ve seen, and that pay erosion is partly responsible for doctors leaving the NHS in their droves.

“Our pay has been cut by 28.5%, we’re just asking to be brought back to where we were.

“We’re not asking for a pay rise we just want to be back to what we were in 2008 when we think the NHS was working better and there were more doctors.”

He added: “It’s my job to go back to the Government to say we need a better offer and if we don’t get a better offer from you there will be strike action from July 12.

Michael Matheson
Scottish Health Secretary Michael Matheson has been urged by junior doctors to make an improved pay offer (PA)

“The ball is firmly in the Government’s court to come back with a better offer and we can work together to avoid the strikes if we can.”

Asked what his message to Scottish Health Secretary Michael Matheson would be, Dr Smith said: “My direct message to the Health Secretary is please come back to the table with an improved offer, an improved offer that goes above inflation.

“An improved offer that goes above inflation and links our pay above inflation so that we don’t get back into this hole, we need to dig ourselves out of the hole of pay erosion that is causing so many doctors to leave the NHS.”

On Tuesday, Mr Matheson said he was “disappointed” with the rejection, adding that strikes are “in no-one’s interest”.

He added: “I respect the outcome of the ballot. We negotiated in good faith, addressing concerns from junior doctors, but this was only the start of the journey, not the end.

“This was the biggest investment in junior doctor pay for the last 20 years and a step forward to modernising pay-bargaining, restoring confidence amongst junior doctors and ensuring that their contribution to our healthcare system is appropriately recognised.”