What changed
Hospital doctors in Northern Ireland will stage two 24-hour strikes over an unresolved pay dispute. Resident doctors will walk out from 07:00 BST on 20 November to 07:00 on 21 November; consultants and SAS doctors will strike from 07:00 on 23 November to 07:00 on 24 November.
Emergency cover will remain in place, but most routine and elective services are expected to be cancelled. The BMA says doctors’ pay has fallen by more than 26% over 18 years because pay awards stayed below inflation.
Why it matters
The disruption will be concentrated in planned care. Appointments and procedures that are not emergencies are likely to be cancelled, adding pressure to a health service already dealing with waiting lists.
The dispute is also about whether doctors feel staying in Northern Ireland is financially worthwhile. BMA representatives say pay affects recruitment and retention, while late and uncertain awards leave doctors feeling undervalued. Their warning is blunt: without a credible government offer, further strikes could follow.
That offer has not appeared yet. Doctors say the health minister could not confirm whether the minimum 2026/27 pay uplift, already paid elsewhere in the UK, will be paid before Christmas or at all. The Northern Ireland Executive will ultimately decide.
The Royal College of Nursing is separately balloting members on possible industrial action after what it described as months of inaction on pay. The NHS pay review body recommended a 3.3% increase for staff across all pay bands, but the wider dispute now risks stretching beyond doctors alone.
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