The BDA has launched an indicative ballot for members in Northern Ireland on the delayed pay award for those working for Health and Social Care Northern Ireland.
The ballot is asking members what action they are willing to take and support to address the fact that they continue to wait for the 2026/27 Agenda for Change pay award, long after it has been implemented for colleagues in England and Wales.
The 3.3% pay award has still not been implemented due to delays in securing agreement on funding and implementation by the Northern Ireland Executive. This is despite previous indications of support for the award from the Health Minister.
While the 3.3% award does little to address the rising cost of living or the long-standing need for structural pay reform, it should have been implemented from 1 April 2026.
The BDA doesn’t believe that this is acceptable and this is why we are seeking member views on whether they would be willing to take industrial action, if necessary, to secure implementation of the already agreed award. This sort of action is always a last resort and that is why it is vital that as many eligible members respond to this indicative ballot, to inform the BDA and its Trade Union National Executive Committee's (TUNEC) next steps.
If most members indicate that they are prepared to consider industrial action, the BDA may consider moving to a statutory industrial action ballot. This would be a formal vote on whether members wish to take part in strike action or other forms of industrial action.
The indicative ballot closes on 16 October at 5pm and takes two minutes to complete.
Eligible members should have received an email with a link to complete the ballot, however there could be a number of reasons, outside of our control, for why that email didn't reach you. If you haven't received the email you can still access the ballot by logging in, refreshing this page and it should appear below.
Access to this ballot is based on information we have about you in our membership system. If you see an error message, you will need to take some action on MyBDA.
Log in now to take part.
