TL;DR: Scottish Resident Doctors Plan Unprecedented 2026 Strike Due to Pay Disputes
Resident doctors in Scotland will go on their first-ever strike in January 2026 over pay restoration and growing frustrations with inadequate pay offers amidst inflation. A 92% vote in favor highlights widespread discontent after the Scottish Government failed to meet its 2023 commitment to restore wages to 2008 levels.
• The strike, scheduled for January 13-17, 2026, will disrupt services across Scotland’s NHS, impacting surgeries, emergency care, and waiting times.
• With resident doctors forming nearly half of the workforce, this action underscores urgent staffing and retention concerns.
• NHS labor issues align with broader strikes across the UK, emphasizing systemic healthcare pressures.
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In an unprecedented move, resident doctors in Scotland have voted to go on strike in January 2026. This marks the very first time that doctors at this level in Scotland, who were formerly known as junior doctors, will walk out in protest. Their demand? A reassessment of pay scales and a call for adherence to previously agreed commitments on salary restoration.
Why Are Resident Doctors Striking?
At the core of the dispute is a pay restoration deal from 2023, where the Scottish Government had committed to bringing doctors’ pay back to 2008 levels in real terms. However, doctors feel these commitments have been broken. The latest pay offer, 4.25% for 2025/26, is seen as inadequate compared to rising inflation and the doctors’ roles in an increasingly strained NHS.
Dr. Chris Smith, chair of the BMA Scotland Resident Doctors Committee, stated, “Doctors will no longer stand by as the progress we’ve worked so hard to secure is dismantled. Pay issues tie directly to staff retention, morale, and patient safety. If we don’t hold the government accountable now, the NHS in Scotland will continue to suffer.”
Key Dates and Voting Results
- Strike Period: From 7am on Tuesday, January 13, to 7am on Saturday, January 17, 2026.
- Ballot Turnout: Of the 5,138 eligible members, 58% participated.
- Voting Outcome: A staggering 92% of doctors favored striking.
This overwhelming majority indicates the frustration within the medical community. Scotland has so far managed to avoid strike actions by resident doctors, unlike the rest of the UK. However, with this decision, it joins England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in facing disruptive industrial action.
The Impact on Scotland’s NHS
Resident doctors play a critical role in NHS operations, accounting for nearly half of the medical workforce. Often the backbone of patient care, they handle everything from frontline emergency responses to essential surgeries and complex diagnoses. If they strike, the repercussions will be felt across the country, delays in elective surgeries, strained emergency services, and extended patient waiting times are inevitable.
Dr. Smith remarked, “Specialists and consultants will be tasked with covering our duties, but the strain will be significant. This isn’t what we want, but the government has left us with no choice.”
Comparing Scotland’s Pay Offer with the UK
In England, similar industrial actions stemmed from pay cuts in real terms, with some junior doctors claiming to earn less than £14 per hour when adjusted for inflation. While Scotland historically offered slightly better wage deals than its UK counterparts, the latest proposals fall short of addressing these broader grievances.
For instance, a newly-qualified resident doctor in Scotland currently earns around £34,500 annually, moving to £42,792 by their second year. With inflation hitting household expenses hard, these salaries no longer reflect the demanding nature and long hours of their work.
Broader Trends in Industrial Action Across the NHS
The NHS across all four UK nations is grappling with staffing shortages, rising patient demand, and ballooning operational costs. Strikes by various staff groups, resident doctors, nurses, and paramedics, highlight systemic issues that require immediate attention.
An earlier five-day walkout by resident doctors in England led to over 100,000 appointment cancellations. A similar scenario looms for Scotland, putting additional strain on a healthcare system tasked with meeting ambitious targets to reduce waiting times.
What’s at Stake?
For Scotland’s government, the stakes are high. The country’s unique position of previously avoiding doctor strikes is now jeopardized, potentially undermining public trust during an election year. Furthermore, any disruption runs counter to the government’s promises of an improved healthcare system and shorter waiting times by March 2026.
Resident doctors argue that their protests aren’t solely about raising salaries. It’s about ensuring fair treatment, addressing real-terms pay cuts, and advocating for a sustainable workforce model moving forward. Some doctors have suggested that current conditions could drive a significant number of skilled professionals to leave the NHS for private health systems or other countries.
What Does This Mean for Patients?
For patients, these strikes signal potential delays in treatment and emergency care. A continuous problem is that many are already on extensive waiting lists. The planned January walkouts could make recovery targets harder to achieve, especially during a critical winter pressure period for the NHS.
While consultants and senior doctors are expected to provide cover, patient safety could still be compromised due to bloated schedules and fewer available hands on deck.
What Happens Next?
The Scottish Government has not yet issued a detailed response following the strike decision. Most likely, negotiations will continue in the coming weeks as both sides attempt to navigate this standoff.
What remains clear is that for the first time, Scotland’s NHS faces the possibility of resident doctors staging industrial action, and this could reset the negotiation landscape for healthcare workers nationwide.
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FAQ: Resident Doctors in Scotland Strike News
Why are resident doctors in Scotland planning to strike?
Resident doctors in Scotland are striking primarily over broken pay restoration commitments. In 2023, the Scottish Government agreed to restore their pay to 2008 levels in real terms. However, the pay rise offered for 2025/26 (4.25%) is seen as falling short, given rising inflation and mounting responsibilities within the NHS. Dr. Chris Smith, Chair of the BMA Scotland Resident Doctors Committee, explained that unresolved pay issues impact staff retention, morale, and ultimately patient safety. The strike is seen as necessary to hold the government accountable and prevent further deterioration of the healthcare system. Read more on The Scotsman.
Why is this strike significant in Scotland?
This strike is historic because Scotland has managed to avoid industrial action by NHS resident doctors until now. Resident doctors account for nearly half of the medical workforce, making their planned walkout a critical issue. Comparatively, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have all faced disruptions due to recent strikes, with significant impacts on patient care. Scotland joining this trend signals deepening frustration among healthcare workers over unsatisfactory pay offers and poor working conditions. Learn more about the background.
What impact will the strike have on Scottish NHS patients?
The strike will likely disrupt patient care nationwide, with delays expected in elective surgeries, extended waiting times, and emergency service strain. Resident doctors are integral to hospital operations, from managing complex diagnoses to performing surgeries. Consultants and senior doctors are expected to cover duties, but this will add significant stress on the system and compromise efficiency. Healthcare critics warn that this industrial action could set back NHS recovery targets for reducing waiting times. Read about the strike’s NHS impacts here.
How do salaries for Scottish resident doctors compare to the rest of the UK?
Resident doctors in Scotland earn slightly more than their counterparts in other UK nations, but inflation and wage stagnation have eroded their real-term earnings. A newly qualified resident doctor earns about £34,500 annually, increasing to £42,792 in year two. By contrast, similar disputes in England stem from real-term pay reductions, with some junior doctors earning less than £14 per hour once inflation is factored in. The pay offer for 2025/26 was one of the UK’s lowest, exacerbating anger among Scottish resident doctors. Explore pay details.
How can the Scottish Government prevent the strike?
To avert the strike, the Scottish Government needs to renegotiate its pay offer and restore trust in the 2023 pay restoration deal. Resident doctors argue that credible progress toward restoring pay to 2008 levels in real terms is non-negotiable. The rejection of the latest pay offer by 92% of voting members shows the depth of their dissatisfaction. With weeks left before the strike begins in January 2026, robust dialogue and compromise are essential for resolution. Discover negotiation possibilities.
What does the strike mean for Scotland’s government?
The planned strike comes during a particularly vulnerable political period, as Scotland approaches its election year in 2026. The disruption will challenge the government’s credibility, particularly its pledge to reduce NHS wait times by March 2026. Breached commitments on pay restoration could erode public trust, forcing the leadership to reconsider its policy approach. Politicians face significant pressure to prevent long-term damage to Scotland’s healthcare system. Event details available here.
How does this strike align with broader NHS trends?
Across the UK, healthcare workers are increasingly resorting to industrial action over pay disputes, staff shortages, and inflation-related struggles. Scotland’s resident doctor strike mirrors patterns seen in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, where strikes caused the cancellation of thousands of patient appointments. The broader struggle reflects systemic issues requiring government intervention, rather than isolated local disputes. Learn about UK healthcare strikes.
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About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp’s expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
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- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
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Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
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Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the “gamepreneurship” methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
