England resident doctors call off strike after pay offer

A planned four-day strike by resident doctors in England has been called off following a last-minute pay offer from the government. The industrial action, which would have been the sixteenth round in a long-running dispute, was scheduled to begin on Monday, June 15, and last through Friday, June 19.

The British Medical Association's resident doctors committee announced the suspension over the weekend after receiving what it described as a new contract offer following weeks of intensive negotiations. The proposed deal will now be put to a vote by tens of thousands of its members in a referendum in the coming weeks.

Health Secretary James Murray welcomed the decision, calling it good news for patients and National Health Service staff. He said the offer boosts pay, improves career prospects, and enhances working lives, representing a chance to draw a line under damaging disputes and usher in a period of industrial peace.

The key elements of the offer include an average pay uplift of 6.6 percent, to be fully delivered by April 2027, with a further increase that April contingent on a future pay review body recommendation. This would be achieved through accelerated progression through...