Key dates and balloting

The industrial action ballot for consultant and SAS doctors

• Opens at 12 noon on 26 October and closes at 12 noon on 7 December
• The ballot will be sent to you electronically if you have provided the BMA with your 
  personal email address.
• The ballot will be sent to you by post if you have provided the BMA with your home address.
• If we hold both a personal email address and home address, you will receive the ballot by both methods.
• If you vote multiple times, only your first vote will be counted.
• If you do not receive a ballot and are eligible to vote, please contact [email protected]

Re-send requests/replacements

Please wait until 30 October before requesting a ballot resend/replacement. Keep in mind it may take a few days to arrive. Please wait five days before requesting an email re-send.

New joiners

If you join the BMA before 30 November, you will be included in the ballot.

Frequently asked Questions

The following FAQs cover all you need to know about how we got here, how you can get involved, taking industrial action and balloting.

Background to the ballot

Why should we vote yes to industrial action?

The Scottish Consultant and SAS doctor Committees of the BMA are in dispute with Scottish Government over working conditions and pay. The committees are seeking to take action jointly (though with separate ballots) as both groups are affected similarly by the actions of Scottish Government.

1. Scottish Government has broken its promise to negotiate improved working conditions and pay for senior employed doctors.

Now is the time to stand up to Scottish Government – because our working lives won’t improve if the ballot is unsuccessful. If we allow Scottish Government to get away with not engaging with us on these key points, what is to stop them working with employers to continue the erosion of our terms and conditions and pay further?

2. conditions are intolerable for many senior employed doctors

A quarter of senior doctors say workloads are unmanageable– More than half are unable to achieve a good work life balance– Two-thirds of senior doctors say their work is damaging their wellbeing.

3. Consultant and SAS doctor vacancies are unacceptably high and getting worse

• 1 in 6 consultant posts are vacant
• 1 in 4 SAS doctor posts are vacant
• Two thirds of senior doctors say there are always or usually insufficient numbers of doctors where they work
• A quarter of doctors in Scotland say the services where they work are normally unsafe.

4. Your pay has eroded by nearly a quarter since 2008

• Consultants and SAS doctors have suffered the worst pay erosion of all NHS workers in Scotland
• The Scottish Government 2026/27 pay uplift for consultant and SAS doctors of 3.5% is likely to be less than inflation over the year and will therefore make no progress towards restoring pay as promised instead it could increase pay erosion.
• For consultants, the uplift this year is worse as there has been no uplift to discretionary points. This makes the uplift around 3.3% on average.
• Resident doctors have acted, and their pay is now within 6.2% of full pay restoration – having increased by 50% since 2023/24

Given this deteriorating position for our profession and our services, and that the Scottish Government are refusing further negotiations, a yes vote and a mandate for industrial action is needed to get the Scottish Government back to the table and work with us to deliver the improvements to our working lives we all know are necessary.

Getting involved

How can I get involved and help make the ballot successful?

Any and all contributions to the campaign are welcome and highly appreciated. The best way to get support locally is to sign up as an activist.

Message or speak to your local LNC chair – or contact the BMA directly via [email protected]

If you’re able to put up posters or distribute leaflets, these can be ordered via the campaign resource page. 

Speaking to consultant and SAS doctors is an essential part of our organising operation. We can provide you with resources to assist with this, and we ask that you update the BMA staff team on any activity you’ve done.

At the time of any strike, we will need members to help us organise, who will receive specific support from the BMA - no prior experience or knowledge necessary! No contribution is too small and all of them are valued. The more you contribute, the more opportunity you will have to set the direction of the BMA and strengthen the collective voice of your union.

Industrial action

I’m concerned about taking industrial action, why should I vote yes?

If you vote yes, you are voting for a future where your work and the services provided to patients are better. The alternative is we sit back and accept that the Government will go on ignoring us and our working lives and our pay will go on getting worse. This would mean that gaps in the doctor workforce go on growing, more and more of us face burnout and ultimately unsatisfactory and indeed unsafe services to patients.

Voting yes is a principled stance to protect yourself, colleagues, future doctors, patients and the NHS.

We appreciate that Industrial action is not something anyone takes lightly, and we know doctors will be concerned for their patients and the services they provide should the Government fail to respond effectively to a yes vote. But a successful industrial action ballot is the only way to force the Scottish Government back to the negotiating table to deliver the negotiated settlement we all want to see.

Rest assured that we will use the mandate a yes vote provides first and foremost to work constructively with the Government, but equally that as a profession we will be prepared to act for the good of our profession should it be necessary.

What would industrial action look like?

While we have not yet announced the form of industrial action, this is very likely to include strike. But it would not be a full walkout. Emergency services would be covered and it’s likely the NHS would operate a Christmas day service over any strike periods.

Recognising the need to ensure patient safety the BMA would also operate a derogations process with NHS Employers/Health Boards which would ensure doctors returned to work in certain circumstances like a mass casualty event or similar.

If strikes did go ahead, when would they be?

We have not yet announced strike dates; this would be done after the ballot. Strikes would not be held over Christmas or New Year – the first strike date, if required, would likely be in January.

Can I strike as a non-BMA member?

You cannot vote in the ballot, but you can still participate in the strike unless you are a member of another union that is not taking industrial action that day. However, the BMA will not be able to support you if you encounter difficulties with your employer.

Will I lose pay if I strike?

You will lose one day of pay for each day that you are on strike action. This is a deduction of 1/29th, 1/30th or 1/31st of your gross monthly pay for each day you are on strike. You cannot be deducted wages for days you were not meant to be at work, or if you are on annual leave or another kind of leave.

The prospect of lost wages can be daunting for some. The BMA operates a strike fund that members can apply to for financial support for undertaking strike action. In addition, industrial action has successfully won members significant progress towards pay restoration, and effective strike action is the most effective strategy for improving long-term remuneration.

Would striking affect my maternity pay?

If you are on maternity, you cannot strike. If you are approaching maternity, striking could impact your maternity pay. The BMA will soon provide detailed guidance on striking and maternity pay for consultants and SAS doctors working in Scotland. Regardless, you should take individual advice from the BMA before deciding on whether to strike.

Can I work as a locum during the strike?

If you are directly employed by an agency and have already been rostered to work on the day of the industrial action, then you should attend work as usual. This is to avoid breaching the contract you have in place with your agency. If you are not directly employed by an agency, then you are regarded as self employed. The usual legal position regarding self-employed persons is that they are free to accept or reject offers of work as they see fit.

We would suggest you think carefully about doing so as this may undermine the strike action and prolong the need for strike.

If I chose not to vote for strike action on the upcoming ballot, can I be forced to strike?

You cannot be forced to strike even if the ballot is successful. Each consultant and SAS doctor must decide whether to take industrial action.

Balloting

When is the ballot?

The ballot will open on 26 October and close at 12 noon on 7 December.

Will the ballot be done electronically or by post?

The law on balloting changed on 25 August allowing electronic and ‘hybrid’ balloting. This ballot will be conducted as both an electronic (ballot sent by email and vote sent electronically) and hybrid ballot (ballot sent by post and vote sent either electronically or by post). Both forms of ballot are confidential.

How long would the mandate for industrial action be if the ballot is successful?

The mandate period would last 12 months, which is the case since the law changed in February 2026.

What are the ballot thresholds?

• Simple majority requirement – over 50% of members participating in the ballot must vote in favour of industrial action.
• 2. 50% turnout threshold – at least 50% of all eligible members must return their ballot for the vote to be legally valid.

The major challenge for the BMA is achieving the 50% turnout threshold – an unreturned ballot is more problematic than a ‘no’ vote. All members regardless of their views are strongly encouraged to return their ballot.

When will the BMA share the results of the ballot with members?

We will announce the ballot results and next steps as soon as possible after the result is known. The ballot closes at noon on the 7th of December, and the announcement is expected within 24 hours. The Scottish consultant and SAS doctor committees will announce next steps around the same time.

I am a locum employed by an agency, am I eligible to vote in the ballot? 

If you are solely employed by an agency, you will not be able to vote in the ballot. If you are working as a locum and employed directly by an NHS employer, you will be eligible to vote in the ballot. You may need to update your membership details to ensure you receive a ballot.

I am on maternity leave, sick leave, taking a career break, or retiring. Can I vote? 

If you are expecting that you will be away from your NHS workplace for the whole of the twelve months from the close of ballot on 7th December, then you will need to contact the BMA and opt out from voting on the ballot. 

I am a BDA member working on the 2002 contract, am I eligible to take part in the ballot? 

The BMA ballot is only open to BMA members. The BDA will update their members on how to proceed.