Pay offer for consultants
Consultants in Northern Ireland have voted yes to accept the pay offer from the Department of Health.
The Northern Ireland consultants committee has confirmed our acceptance of the offer, bringing our current pay dispute to an end. Eligible BMA consultant members in Northern Ireland voted 94.3% (turnout 75.1%) to accept the offer.
Dr David Farren, NICC chair, said:
“Acceptance of this deal has delivered a positive first step towards securing full pay restoration for consultants. We bear ultimate responsibility for patient care, and we are key to addressing the waiting list crisis and lead on training doctors and clinical innovation, yet in Northern Ireland our pay did not reflect this level of responsibility. This deal begins the process of making our pay more attractive and competitive with our UK counterparts which is critical at a time of chronic workforce shortages here.”
We will provide updates in due course on the implementation of the pay deal and on what happens next.
How we got here
For years, consultants here have been working harder and longer, with more complex cases in a much more challenging environment, whilst a crisis built in the health service. Despite the significant additional pressures, since 2008/09 our basic pay has experienced real terms (RPI) pay cut of 28.8%.
Coupled with this has been a sustained period of political instability in Northern Ireland which has meant decisions to address workforce gaps, and stabilising and transforming the health service have not been taken, adding to the pressures doctors face.
While we have engaged in good faith with the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body (DDRB) for the last 16 years, the recommendations they have made around pay have not always been implemented by government. The actual application of the pay award in Northern Ireland has generally been extremely slow and it has taken months for it to be paid. This is unacceptable and out-with what happens in the other nations.
Colleagues in the Republic of Ireland under the new Sláintecare contract are paid much higher rates than we are in Northern Ireland, which has prompted many colleagues to choose to work across the border.
Following the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly in February 2024, the Health Minister said that he intended to apply a pay uplift of 6%, as recommended by the DDRB for the 2023/2024 financial year. This was not paid until June 2024.
In June 2024 consultants in Northern Ireland voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking strike action over pay. The strength of this vote and subsequent planned strike action brought the Department of Health to the negotiating table. Northern Ireland consultants committee secured a pay offer that was accepted by members in a referendum.
Pay activists
- Help build a team at your workplace that drives our campaign locally.
- Share your ideas to help BMA Northern Ireland develop our campaign.
- Recruit new BMA members to strengthen our voice calling for full pay restoration.
- Join or start local events, meetings and activities in support of the campaign.
Keep up to date with our campaign on the BMA NI X (Twitter) and Instagram accounts.
