The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced that it has ended pension negotiations with the Scottish government, following clarification from Scottish ministers that there was no alternative to proposed UK-wide pension contribution increases.

Changes proposed by the UK government to reform NHS pensions will see an increased rate of pension contributions among NHS staff and will see them working for longer. Proposals would see a 0.3 per cent increase in contributions for those with full-time pensionable earnings of up to £15,278, a 1 per cent increase for those with full-time pensionable earnings between £26,558 and £48,982 and a 2.4 per cent increase for those in excess of £48,982. These changes are now highly likely to apply in Scotland.

BMA pension committee chair Dr. Alan Robertson said: “It was agreed that there was little point in pursuing separate Scottish negotiations on changes in light of the Scottish government’s inability to negotiate on any significant detail of the reform proposals. Tinkering around the edges will do little to mitigate the most damaging elements of the UK-wide pension reforms.”

In November, BMA chairman in Scotland Dr. Brian Keighley stated that doctors were angry at the fact that the Scottish government has devolved authority to do something different on employee contributions but are still choosing to implement aspects of them. “The Scottish government must recognise that through the failure to act on their words of opposition, ministers have damaged trust amongst NHS staff.”

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