BMA Scotland Resident Doctors

24/07/2026

RESIDENT DOCTORS IN SCOTLAND: YOUR CHANCE TO GET INVOLVED!

Dear Member,

Elections to the SRDC (Scottish resident doctor committee) are approaching and this is your chance to be part of improving the working lives of doctors across Scotland. There are lots of ways to do that, from simply voting in the elections, to putting yourself forward to stand as a representative.

Nominations for the committee open on Wednesday 29 July and we are holding an online event to explain how you can get involved on Thursday 30 July at 6pm. It’s going to be a relaxed session with BMA Scotland resident doctor representatives and staff who can guide you through what is happening and hopefully encourage you to join us and be part of the change we want to deliver.

If you want to find out more in the meantime, have a read of this great blog by SRDC deputy co-chairs Dr Izzie Chandler and Dr Becky Acres which describes how and why they got involved – and how you can too.

This is a crucial time for residents in Scotland. A new contract is being negotiated. Through the power of your union, full pay restoration for Scottish resident doctors is just 6% away. And you can join us in the push for more and to truly make Scotland the best place in the UK for resident doctors to work and train. A union’s strength is purely through its members and that could (and should) be you. Please do join in.

Stay in touch for more details and come along on Thursday if you can make it, we are looking forward to seeing you!

Yours,

BMA Scotland resident doctors committee

We are Becky and Izzie, Scottish Resident Doctors’ Committee (SRDC) deputy co-chairs for education and training (Izzie is on the left of the pic, Becky on the right). We became deputy co-chairs hal…

22/01/2026

RESIDENT DOCTORS IN SCOTLAND: The consultative vote on the Scottish Government's pay offer opens on MONDAY (Jan 26th) and runs until Tuesday, Feb 10th.

This vote will be via email - so watch out for the chance to vote landing in your inbox early next week.

You can find out all the info you need in SRDC Chair Dr Chris Smith's latest blog here.

He said: "The next few weeks are certain to be busy ones for resident doctors, but now is the time to exercise your power and set the course for our pay and union for the next 12 months. Join the BMA by 2nd February if you haven’t already and want a vote. Get your vote in online by 10th February. By doing so, you will continue empowering us to achieve change in our parallel fights for jobs, contract reform, and pay restoration."

It has been another extremely important week since strike action was suspended by the BMA’s Scottish Resident Doctors Committee (SRDC), with a resolution being achieved, ye…

10/01/2026

ICYMI - yesterday the BMA announced that we have reached agreement with the Scottish Government on an offer we will now put to you, our members - with the recommendation it is accepted.

As a result, the strikes planned for next week are now suspended.

You can find out all the details of the investment in pay and the resident doctor contract in the blog below from the negs team.

And watch out for more details on webinars on the offer where you can find out more and ask your questions. Details on the vote and how you can have your say will be provided in due course....

After Scottish resident doctors delivered an overwhelming strike mandate to the BMA Scottish Resident Doctors’ Committee (SRDC), our negotiating team has been hard at work using that leverage in ex…

20/12/2025

Listen to SRDC Chair Dr Chris Smith react to the results of the ballot on strike action - 92% of resident doctors in Scotland who voted, voted YES....

20/12/2025

THE BALLOT RESULTS ARE IN...

And resident doctors in Scotland have voted in their thousands to hold the Scottish Government to account for breaking the deal they made with you on pay restoration just 2 years ago.

92% voted for strike action, on a turn out of 58%. As a result, we have called our first set of strike dates, from 7am on Tuesday January 13th to 7am on Saturday January 17th.

On the first day of the strike we are planning to hold a national demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament and will be laying on transport for free - you can find out more and book your travel in SRDC Chair Chris Smith's blog posted below.

Commenting, Chris said: "I want to re-emphasise that your BMA rep team will work as hard as possible to negotiate a credible settlement that we can put to you, the membership who have gotten us this far. We want to pull the Scottish Government and the NHS back from the brink of the historic mistake they are making.

"Whatever comes next is thanks to your action. You voted in YES in your thousands to make this a reality. Your reps will be in touch when we have news but, in the meantime, talk to your colleagues and get in touch with your reps to get involved in organising your pickets. Most importantly, get ready to strike."

The results are in. A huge 91.98% of members who voted have said YES to strike action. This is only the second time this century that resident doctors in Scotland have taken such a step. But it is,…

15/12/2025

‼️LAST SAFE DAY TO POST YOUR BALLOT!‼️

Resident doctors in Scotland - have you had your say in the ballot on on strike action??

Today is the last chance to post your ballot and GUARANTEE it will arrive ahead of the vote closing on Friday 19th.

Read why it is so important to vote TODAY and vote YES in the latest blog from SRDC chair Dr Chris Smith.

"Credibility is the most important principle here. The lowest pay uplift of NHS resident doctors is not fair and it is not credible. You are worth more than that and deserve to be treated better than this. A mandate for strike action will show the Government that we know what we deserve, and it’s not the disregard which we’ve been shown up to this point.

"To make sure we get that mandate – it must be approved by more than 50% of all members balloted – please make sure you return your ballot today. A delay might mean your vote isn’t counted and may effectively greenlight the Scottish Government’s bad behaviour. A yes vote received on time, meanwhile, empowers your union, holds your Government to account, and keeps us on the pathway to Full Pay Restoration.

"Vote today. Vote Yes to strike."

If you’ve not yet returned your ballot in BMA Scotland’s strike ballot of resident doctors: what are you waiting for?! The last safe day to guarantee you have your say is in less than a week from t…

05/12/2025

WE'RE HALFWAY THERE (a little over actually) in the ballot for strike action in Scotland.

There's only two weeks left to run - and the last safe date to get your vote in the post back to us is DECEMBER 15th.

So please vote as soon as you can and vote yes!

Read more from deputy SRDC chair Dr Lucas O'Donnell here:

We’re now past the halfway point of the Scottish resident doctor industrial action ballot. Remember, the Scottish Government has inflicted a 17% real terms pay cut on you since 2008. Two years…

03/12/2025

SCOTTISH RESIDENT BALLOT - your questions answered!

One of the things we have been asked a lot during the ballot is why jobs for residents doesn't form part of the dispute.

Listen to SRDC Chair Dr Chris Smith explain why here.

And if you haven't voted - get your ballot back to us asap!

26/11/2025

RESIDENT DOCTORS IN SCOTLAND:

The Scottish Government has now imposed this year's pay award, categorically breaking they deal struck with Scottish resident doctors two years ago.

Dr Chris Smith, Chair of SRDC:

"This is a flagrant breach of the deal the Scottish Government struck with us all in 2023. It is now clear that the Scottish Government has given up on any pretence that they respect our deal or respect resident doctors.

"Neil Gray pointing to past uplifts does not satisfy the terms we struck 2 years ago; under which each year requires negotiation of a credible uplift substantial enough to take us towards pay restoration, not just the first 2 years. I have no doubt this move will add to the anger we have been hearing on ward walks and during pay discussions in hospitals up and down the country. If you needed a further push to get your vote in, and vote yes for strike action, then surely now you have it."

Read the full blog here.....

On Tuesday 25th November, like many of you I got a letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Neil Gray. And, like many of you, I was outraged by the news that, instead of negotiating with resid…

21/11/2025

🟠Resident doctors in Scotland🟠

ALERT: Your strike action ballot paper should have arrived.

If not, and you think you should have one, you can now request from http://doctorspay.org.uk or by going to our pay restoration website: https://bma.org.uk/our-campaigns/resident-doctor-campaigns/pay-in-scotland/pay-restoration-in-scotland

Please get in touch - we need to you to vote YES and vote as soon as you can to stop the Scottish Government breaking the deal they made with YOU to make credible progress towards pay restoration.