# Senior doctors in England strike for two days in November > Senior doctors in England strike two days in November after BMA calls proposed pay rise 'an insult'. - Title: Senior doctors in England strike for two days in November - Summary: Senior doctors in England strike two days in November after BMA calls proposed pay rise 'an insult'. Senior NHS doctors in England will strike for two days… - Keywords: senior doctors, england, bma, pay rise, strike, nhs, consultants, health secretary, yvette cooper, nhs alliance, pension, working week - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16239075/Senior-doctors-England-strike-two-days-November-BMA-announces.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-10-26T10:22:21+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: senior doctors, england, bma, pay rise, strike, nhs, consultants, health secretary, yvette cooper, nhs alliance, pension, working week ## Senior doctors to strike in November Senior NHS doctors in England will go on strike for two days in November after the BMA branded a proposed 2.4 per cent pay rise 'an insult'. > an insult ## BMA demands formal negotiations The BMA, the trade union which represents doctors in the UK, claimed its 'repeated calls to enter formal negotiations' had been ignored by the Government. > repeated calls to enter formal negotiations ## Strike dates confirmed Consultants in England are set to walk out of their jobs from 6.59am on November 25 until 6.59am on November 27 after voting 'reluctantly but decisively' in favour of strike action. > reluctantly but decisively ## BMA's strike rationale The BMA said: 'We firmly believe this is now the only way to make the Government take consultants and the issues that threaten our profession seriously.' > We firmly believe this is now the only way to make the Government take consultants and the issues that threaten our profession seriously ## Health Secretary's response Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was 'disappointing' to see the BMA choosing to strike rather than 'continuing dialogue' with colleagues. > disappointing ## Government's winter preparations She added: 'The Government is working with staff across the NHS to prepare for winter, improve care for patients and make our health service better for the whole workforce.' > working with staff across the NHS to prepare for winter ## BMA's five-hour work week demand The BMA Consultants Committee has also demanded a five-hour cut to the working week, which would cost taxpayers £2 to 3billion. > five-hour cut to the working week ## Consultants' earnings It comes despite consultants earning £152,000 on average this year, and a £25,000 increase to their average earnings over the last four years. > one hundred fifty-two thousand pounds ## NHS Alliance's criticism Sir Ciaran Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance, said: 'NHS leaders will be both astonished and dismayed by the BMA's decision to proceed with walk outs by consultants at a time when plans to… > NHS leaders will be both astonished and dismayed by the BMA's decision to proceed with walk outs by consultants ## Impact on patient care Any decision to down tools risks throwing these plans further off course and will once again disrupt patient care while severely hitting NHS finances. > disrupt patient care ## BMA's pay rise criticism The BMA described the real-terms pay cut as 'derisory' and said it 'beggars belief', while the Royal College of Nursing described it as a 'betrayal'. > real-terms pay cut ## BMA's strike mandate The planned walkout comes after members of the BMA voted in favour of a mandate for industrial action in July. > mandate for industrial action ## Strike mandate duration Under new laws, the strike mandate secured by the BMA will last 12 months. > strike mandate ## Previous strike mandate rules Under the previous Tory government, strike mandates were capped at six months to limit disruption and so regular ballots could test whether strikes maintained support. > strike mandates were capped at six months ## BMA's strike conditions The BMA said the strike can be avoided if Health Secretary Yvette Cooper commits to formal negotiations on pay and working conditions. > formal negotiations on pay and working conditions ## Voting turnout for strike Of 35,067 consultants eligible to vote in the BMA ballot, just 18,069 (52 per cent) did. Of these, 13,695 voted in favour of striking. > fifteen thousand six hundred ninety-five ## Key takeaway Senior NHS doctors in England will strike for two days in November following the BMA's claim that a proposed 2.4% pay rise is an insult to their profession.