Hospital consultants in England have paused a strike planned for 25 and 26 November, after the British Medical Association (BMA) agreed to enter formal negotiations with the Government over pay and working conditions. The BMA announced the pause on Wednesday 11 November. Senior doctors had been due to walk out later this month in a dispute that has run for 18 months, but the union said talks now offered a chance to resolve it without industrial action. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the move, saying she had had constructive talks with the BMA's consultants committee. ## Strike paused after urgent meeting According to [Pulse Today](https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/politics/bma-pauses-consultant-strikes-as-it-enters-formal-negotiations-with-government/), the decision was taken at an urgent meeting of the union's consultants committee on Tuesday night. Members agreed to pause the planned action on 25 and 26 November to allow negotiations to take place, following meetings with the health secretary. The committee said it had received assurances that there were no constraints on what would be discussed in the negotiations. Its co-chairs, Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, said they hoped the agreement marked a turning point in a dispute that had gone on for far too long. "We've always said strikes do not need to go ahead as long as the Government is willing to genuinely negotiate, and now is their chance to do so," the co-chairs said. "We have received assurances that there are no constraints on what we discuss in these negotiations, and we look forward to hearing their proposals on both pay and working conditions." The BMA stressed that pausing the action was not an end to the dispute. Its mandate for industrial action remains live, and the union said it would call further action if the negotiations did not swiftly deliver progress. ## Why consultants were planning to walk out The committee first announced the planned strike last month. It said the Government's proposed 2.4 percent pay uplift for doctors next year showed it was not taking the BMA's concerns seriously, and described the offer as below inflation. The BMA says consultants have lost a quarter of their pay in real terms over 17 years, while working under increasingly unsustainable pressures. The committee has been seeking action on pay, workloads and worsening working conditions, and says the dispute is about more than pay alone. "Consultants have lost a quarter of their pay in real terms over 17 years, while working under increasingly unsustainable pressures," the co-chairs said. "But this is about more than pay; it is also about ensuring consultants have the time, recognition and support they need to deliver the best possible care for patients and secure the future of the NHS, while not driving themselves to burn out." When the strike was announced, consultants were to provide emergency-only cover on the strike days, the level of cover often described as Christmas Day cover. The walkout had been due to run from 7am on 25 November to 6.59am on 27 November, according to reporting at the time. ## What the Government has said The Government set out its position in evidence to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration in October, saying its plan for a 2.4 percent pay rise for 2027-28 would not require trade-offs against its health commitments. [Reuters](https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4005221-senior-doctors-in-england-put-strike-on-hold-after-union-secures-negotiations?amp) reported the same figure, and the BMA's view that the offer fell below inflation. The Times reported that the Government's mandate for the negotiations does not allow for pay increases this financial year, and that the talks are understood to focus on working conditions and patient services, including using artificial intelligence to ease the administrative burden on consultants. ## What happens next For now, the strike dates of 25 and 26 November are off. No date has been given for the negotiations to conclude, and neither side has published a timetable. The BMA's warning is clear: "Pausing strike action in England gives both sides the opportunity to make progress. After 18 months of dispute, however, our patience is not infinite, and should these negotiations fail to swiftly deliver on the issues at the heart of this dispute, we will call further action." Patients with appointments on 25 and 26 November should therefore see no strike disruption unless talks break down and new action is announced. The coming weeks will show whether formal negotiations can produce a deal that the consultants committee is prepared to accept.