NHS trade unions are increasingly pushing back against below inflation pay awards from the Department of Health, with some proceeding to call industrial action.
Industrial action is not limited to strike action and could include things such as an overtime ban. We are proceeding cautiously to ensure that members we ballot are entitled to vote as the process is complex and the fines for breaches in legislation are high.
The criteria we are using for the ballot are BDA members that are employed as trainees (core or speciality) by a hospital in England. The Trust must be named on your contract of employment, and we must be aware of the location in which you provide most of your clinical sessions. All this information must be provided to us by 22 January 2023.
We will begin to ballot members via post in the week commencing 30 January, with voting closing on 20 February. If you haven't received an email from us but believe you should be included in the ballot, please complete our survey to update your details.
If you have recently joined as a member, you can still get involved, provided you join by 22 January. Non-members are entitled to take action alongside members but are not covered by any of the legal protections trade union members are afforded during a dispute. Non-members refusing to work during a strike could face disciplinary action if employers view it as an unauthorised absence.