The offer
I don’t think the offer goes far enough. Why was it presented to me?
This offer largely presents what was accepted by SAS members in England, alongside some bespoke non-pay offers for Northern Ireland. We felt, given that the pay scales were acceptable in England, and we have made some progress on non-pay asks, that it was an appropriate offer to put to members here.
After a series of negotiating meetings we believe that this is the best offer we can achieve at this time. Given the current budget situation at DoH, officials have made clear to us that there is no more funding available.
Given this, and the ability to get these additional monies into the pay scales ahead of the 2024/25 DDRB uplift, it is our duty to present the offer to the membership.
Why did the BMA NI SAS Committee recommend the offer be accepted?
The negotiating team is clear that this offer is the best that can be achieved through negotiation with DoH. The alternative was to request permission from BMA Council to ballot NI SAS members for industrial action, then take strike action if a mandate is secured. There are no guarantees this would result in an improved offer or how long it would take.
If we accept this offer now, we essentially 'bank' the pay rise proposed in the offer, and this higher pay will create the baseline from which the DDRB uplift for 2024/25 will be added.
We are conscious that this offer does not fully address long-standing pay erosion, but we have never claimed that pay restoration would happen in one go. What this offer does do, is improve basic pay in line with our English colleagues, and this improvement can be further built upon. In future years, we will be seeking more than inflationary pay increases from the DDRB. If their recommendations are not acceptable, we will re-open negotiations.
The pay proposals
When would I see an increase in my pay?
We will confirm this timeframe directly with DoH, but would like to see it in pay by March 2025. The uplift will be backdated to April 2024.
Will I need to move contracts to access a pay uplift?
No. While some SAS doctors may wish to move to 2021 terms and conditions, this will be their choice and will be facilitated by a new window of opportunity that will run until April 2027. Those on closed contracts can choose to stay put and will still receive a consolidated £1,400 uplift.
Find out more about changing from a 2008 to 2021 contract.
How does this offer relate to DDRB-recommended pay uplifts last year and this year? Does this replace a 2024/25 uplift?
No this does not replace the 2024/25 uplift. The pay offer is on top of the pay lift awarded for 2023/24. The current pay scales include the value of the previous uplift, so the increase of the new offer is based on entirely new investment into the SAS pay bill.
The pay scale realignment in the offer is entirely separate from future rounds of the pay review process. If accepted, the pay uplifts in the offer would represent the new baseline and a DDRB uplift for a 2024/25 will be on top of the new pay scales created by the deal.
What about DDRB reform?
The Government’s recent deal with consultants in England secured reforms to the DDRB process, which will benefit all doctors under the pay review process – including SAS doctors. These include changes to the appointments to the DDRB, DDRB remit letters, the DDRB timetable and terms of reference. When these come into effect for 2025/26 we hope that it will translate to an improvement on DDRB outcomes for our members.
What is the difference between consolidated pay and non-consolidated pay?
Consolidated pay means that the uplift is incorporated into your annual pay both this year and for all future years. All consolidated pay is pensionable.
Non-consolidated pay means that it is not incorporated into your annual salary and is a one-off payment for this year only. Non-consolidated pay is not pensionable.
Both the pay scale realignment for the 2021 pay scales and the £1,400 uplift for the pre-2021 pay scales in the offer are consolidated, meaning that they would become a permanent part of basic annual pay for SAS doctors. There is no non-consolidated element to the pay uplifts in the offer.
This also means that the baseline of basic pay for all SAS doctors would be raised and whatever percentage increase is recommended by the DDRB for 2024/25 will be on top of the uplifts in the offer.
The outcome
What happens if the offer is accepted?
If the offer is accepted, it becomes a deal. The measures proposed in it will be implemented. The pay increases will come into effect hopefully by March 2025, and these new pay scales will be the baseline from which the DDRB makes its recommendation for a pay uplift for 2024/25. Work will begin on the other proposals in the offers.
What happens if the offer is rejected?
If the offer is rejected, the pay uplifts and other measures in it will not be implemented. The pay scales will not change from the current ones.
Our next steps at this stage would be challenging. Reaching the offer took a significant amount of negotiation and compromise on both sides, and the department would be under no obligation to negotiate further. NISASC (the Northern Ireland Specialist, Associate Specialist and Specialty Doctors committee would need to request BMA Council’s agreement to ballot the membership for industrial action to get a mandate to strike. Members would need to be prepared to engage in this ballot, and also to take industrial action. Please bear this in mind if you vote to reject the offer.
Would accepting the offer mean we can’t pursue industrial action again?
No. While accepting this offer will mean a resolution to this particular pay dispute, we reserve the right to ballot the membership if a significant change of circumstances results in a new, separate dispute arising.
Would accepting the offer mean I can’t negotiate my rates for extra-contractual work?
No. We will continue to promote the rate card for SAS members in Northern Ireland.