Doctors balloted on industrial action against pension rule modifications

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDFeb 27 2012

Over 100,000 doctors in the UK are to be balloted on industrial action as the stand-off between the Government and the medical profession complicates further.

The British Medical Association will ask doctors whether to take action over changes to their pensions. It is the first ballot of its kind for almost 40 years. Options being considered short of strike action include a work-to-rule, a refusal to fill in forms and only dealing with emergencies.

David Cameron is facing criticism for his planned NHS reforms, which have attracted fierce opposition from royal medical colleges, as well as coalition MPs and peers. This week the Health and Social Care Bill is expected to face a further opposition in the Lords, as ministers battle to get the legislation on to the statue book.

In January, doctors and medical students overwhelmingly rejected the Government's “final” offer on pensions, claiming younger doctors would have to pay more than £200,000 extra over their lifetime in pension contributions and work eight years longer, to 68. Ministers argue that pensions enjoyed by doctors are among the most generous in the country, and say the lowest paid will be protected. But doctors' leaders claim the changes go back on a deal struck with the government three years ago.

Under current rules, a full-time consultant retiring at 60 receives an annual pension of more than £48,000 and £143,000 tax-free lump sum. A doctor joining the new scheme after 2015 would face higher contributions but could expect a pension of £68,000 a year at his state pension age of 68.

Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, insisted it was fair that higher earners paid greater contributions. “Doctors and consultants are among the highest earners in the NHS and have benefited hugely from the current final salary scheme compared to other staff groups. Lower-earner members should not be footing the bill – that is why we have protected those on lower salaries.”

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA Council, warned yesterday that the pension changes could trigger an exodus of experienced doctors from the NHS, and left the BMA with “no other option” but to ballot for industrial action. “We've pursued every avenue we possibly could to bring the Government back to meaningful talks,” he said. “With no signs of movement, we simply cannot ignore this strength of feeling by medical staff.”

The pension changes affect England and Wales, but the Scottish government is to begin a similar process which the BMA believes is likely to produce the same result. Similar plans are expected in Northern Ireland.

Dr Mark Porter who chairs the BMA's Consultants Committee said it had been left with no alternative but to ballot. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley told the BBC News Channel the ballot was “disappointing because it will serve no purpose whatsoever”.

A timetable for the ballot has not yet been decided but a BMA spokeswoman said officials would be working on details in the coming days. Dr Porter said the form of industrial action was also still to be agreed. “The key thing here is that the government has given us no alternative but to go for a ballot,” he told the BBC News Channel. He said any action would be designed to “minimize harm and impact on patients - our fight is with the government not with patients”.

BMA Scotland chairman Dr Brian Keighley added, “This is an opportunity for the Scottish government to consider alternatives to these proposed reforms.” Chairman of the BMA in Northern Ireland, Dr Paul Darragh, also said the decision should prompt the region's power sharing executive to consider alternatives.

Dean Royles, director of the NHS Employers' organisation, described the BMA's announcement as disconcerting for patients and disappointing to the majority of staff. “This is a critical time for staff and it is very important that they wait until the government has released full, final details of the pension proposal before voting in ballots,” he said. The BMA had said it wanted to reach an agreement through negotiation and avoid industrial action “if at all possible”.

But a survey of 130,000 BMA members last month found almost two-thirds of the 46,000 who responded said they would be prepared to take some form of industrial action if the government did not change its offer. That could range from withdrawing non-emergency care to taking all breaks.