# Consultant doctors in England call off two-day pay strike

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/consultant-doctors-in-england-call-off-two-day-pay-strike/
- Published: 2026-11-11T14:33:44+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T15:04:22+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/nov/11/consultant-doctors-in-england-call-off-nhs-strike
- Topics: Government, Politics, Software, Technology, UK, World

## Key points

- Consultants have paused strikes set for 25 and 26 November.
- Formal talks will cover pay and working conditions.
- The BMA says real-terms pay has fallen by 25% since 2009-10.

## Summary

Consultant doctors in England have paused planned strike action on 25 and 26 November to allow formal negotiations with the government. The move avoids potential disruption to routine and elective NHS services and could mark a turning point in the dispute.

The British Medical Association said talks will cover pay and working conditions, including consultants’ claim that salaries have lost 25% of their real-terms value since 2009-10 and its request for a 10% cut in working hours. Consultants received a 3.5% pay rise this year; the union says the dispute also concerns workload, support and the risk of burnout. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the pause and said discussions would address consultants’ voice, flexibility and ability to improve services.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.