Consultants: warning that "morale is at an all-time low" as ballot date for industrial action is set
Hospital doctors say they feel they have no alternative but to strike
Consultants in hospitals across Northern Ireland could be set to strike, it emerged today (Thursday).
After a warning that morale was "at an all-time low" the British Medical Association, said its consultant members would now be balloted on industrial action on May 7.
The BMA said representatives from its Northern Ireland consultants committee met with the Department of Health to discuss their concerns over the "continuing erosion of consultant pay" and the impact this was having on consultant recruitment and retention.
Dr David Farren said it was imperative that consultants in Northern Ireland did not fall further behind colleagues in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
"We really feel we have been left with no alternative but to strike," he said.
"Morale is at an all-time low among consultants here; we do not feel valued for the complex, challenging and stressful work we undertake, and we do not deserve to be paid less than colleagues in the rest of the UK or Ireland for doing the same job.
"In fact, given the crisis in our health service, the job is arguably even harder here. It is imperative that we secure at least the same terms and conditions for consultants here.
"We asked consultants in Northern Ireland last year were they willing to strike, and they were clear they were; 77% of those who responded said they were willing to take industrial action.
"But we have held off moving to a full ballot in the hope that with a new Executive and Health Minister in place we could make some progress and address this issue, but unfortunately we have not been able to come to agreement with them.
"We will now ballot consultants with a view to taking industrial action.
"This is not the action we had hoped we would have to take but we have been left with no other option. If we don't do something now to fix our pay, then what we will see is the continued loss of doctors from our health service and a system that will no longer be able to care for patients."
The ballot for consultant members will be open for five weeks, closing on Monday June 10.