Swinney ‘anxious’ to reach deal with doctors to stop strike ‘disruption’ to NHS

A strike by resident doctors next week would see NHS care in Scotland “disrupted”, John Swinney has warned, with the First Minister saying he is “anxious” to reach a deal to end the dispute.

The SNP leader stressed he “obviously” wants to avoid industrial action, but he also told doctors preparing for industrial action: “I can’t put offers on the table that the government can’t afford.”

The First Minister spoke out on the issue ahead of talks between Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray and the British Medical Association (BMA) on Monday.

Resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – in BMA Scotland voted last month for strike action, with walkouts now scheduled to start from 7am on Tuesday January 13, lasting until 7am on Saturday January 17.

Faced with the prospect of industrial action Mr Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme he was “anxious to find a solution” to the pay dispute.

He added: “I don’t want to see the health service disrupted by industrial action, and it would be disrupted by industrial action by the resident doctors if that starts to take place from next Tuesday, so I want to avoid that if I possibly can do.”

With the dispute focused on pay, Mr Swinney insisted the Scottish Government has “remained faithful” to a pay deal reached in 2023.

The First Minister said: “We reached an agreement with the resident doctors in 2023 about their pay, and on the basis of what we have put on the table for pay this year and next, by 2027 resident doctors’ pay will have increased by 35%.”

The BMA however is calling for “credible progress” to be made towards increasing the hourly starting pay for resident doctors from £17.40 to £20.90

Mr Swinney however stressed the current pay offer “is at the highest end of public sector pay offers that are being made” and “equals what is being given to other members of the health service”.

Adding that there would be “negotiations and discussions” with resident doctors, the First Minister stressed: “I am anxious to make sure we work together to find a solution, because I do have to acknowledge if there is industrial action by the resident doctors that will lead to disruption in the National Health Service and obviously I want to avoid that.

“But I can’t put offers on the table that the government can’t afford, I cant put offers on the table that will create further difficulties for us in public sector pay.”