When is the ballot taking place?
The ballot opens on 6 November and closes on 18 December. Remember, full pay restoration depends on the success of this ballot. Your vote is crucial. Complete your ballot paper and return it to Civica Election Services using the prepaid envelope provided. Post your ballot back as soon as possible. The closer we get to Christmas, the more likely it is that your return post will be delayed.
Who can vote?
All our junior doctor members working in Wales employed by NHS organisations will be eligible to vote in this NHS strike ballot. See our full guidance on who can be balloted and take part in industrial action.
Junior that are currently overseas must contact us by email or by calling 0300 123 1233 to receive a ballot. You should do this as soon as possible to be able to vote.
Medical students will not be able to take part in a ballot as they do not hold a contract of employment. Read our guidance for medical students during industrial action.
What your vote means
Your vote in the ballot indicates whether or not you support industrial action but does not commit you to action. If the vote is successful, the decision to then take action is an individual choice.
If you vote ‘yes’, we hope that you are fully prepared to take industrial action. If you vote 'no', we would still encourage you to support the campaign and your colleagues.
We would not be working towards a ballot for industrial action if we felt that there was any other course of action that would achieve our aims. We encourage all members to vote in favour of any ballot we put forward.
Everybody who we have balloted may take action. We will not be balloting those members who are not eligible to take action - for example, armed forces doctors.
Why am I being balloted on taking industrial action?
Junior doctors in Wales have experienced a 29.6% pay cut in real terms. This year, despite the Welsh Government’s commitment to the principle of pay restoration, the pay offer to junior doctors was a sub-inflationary and derisory 5%, the lowest pay offer to doctors in the UK.
We entered into pay negotiations in good faith, but the first and final offer of just 5% left us with nowhere to go. We must ballot for industrial action.
If you receive a ballot in error
If you don’t think you are eligible to take part in the ballot and have received a ballot in error, we ask that you contact us by calling 0300 123 1233 or email us – please do not return your ballot in the envelope provided.
Requirements of a successful ballot
A trade union ballot requires a majority Yes vote with a turnout of 50% of those eligible to vote to be considered to have support for industrial action. That’s why it’s extremely important that you vote in the upcoming ballot.
Does the ‘The Important Public Services (Health) Regulations 2017'. apply in Wales?
Whilst the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 does apply in Wales, the Senedd enacted the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017 that effectively excludes this threshold in Wales. Therefore, our ballot only requires a Yes majority and a turnout of 50% of those eligible to vote.