#bma

#bma

The British Medical Association is facing a strike over pay by its own clerical staff, prompting calls of hypocrisy as resident NHS doctors in England launch five days of strike action with the union's backing. Talks between the BMA and the GMB union failed to come to a resolution on Tuesday, raising the prospect of a strike by clerical and administrative staff at the health union in the new year, sources said.

"The result of today's ballot makes it clear that the government will now need to step up to the plate. "Doctors have [today] spoken clearly: they won't accept that they face a career of insecurity at a time when the demand for doctors is huge. Yet successive governments have been unable to embrace the changes both doctors and patients are crying out for. "We do not want to have to strike, but we will if we are left with no choice. The government has the power to end both of these disputes now: it must use this opportunity to make the changes that are desperately needed."

The British Medical Association described the 4% pay rise for doctors as 'derisory', stating it does not adequately address historical pay freezes and erosion of value.