
Resident doctors in the United Kingdom are preparing for more industrial action over pay disputes.
In Scotland, 92 % of resident doctors voted in favour of a national strike.
The turnout was 58 %.
The planned walkout will run from 7:00 AM on 13 January 2026 to 7:00 AM on 17 January 2026.
The British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland rejected the government’s two-year pay offer of 4.25 % for 2025/26 and 3.75 % for 2026/27.
The union says the increases fall below inflation and independent recommendations.
Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray said he wants to avoid the strike.
He described the offer as the best possible within budget limits.
In England, resident doctors ended a five-day strike on 22 December 2025.
83 % voted to continue industrial action, with a 65 % turnout.
The BMA is now balloting for a new mandate that could allow strikes until August 2026.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the recent strike the most serious threat to the NHS since he took office.
He said he wants no strikes in 2026 and will resume talks in the new year.
BMA leaders say doctors have lost real earnings over 15 years.
They want multi-year pay restoration and solutions to staff shortages.
Both sides say they prefer talks to strikes.
The disputes involve resident doctors who make up nearly half the medical workforce in many areas.
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