Balloting begins

18 November 2015
Volume 31 · Issue 6

The British Dental Association (BDA) has announced that it will commence balloting junior hospital dentists over proposed industrial action in response to changes to their contract starting November 18, 2015.

These NHS dentists are employed on the same terms of service as junior doctors, who have been balloted by the British Medical Association (BMA). The BDA has said the proposed contract would remove vital safeguards for dentists and patients.

The BDA ballot will close at 12 noon on Monday, November 30, 2015. If the ballot gains a positive result dental trainees based at nearly 50 workplaces across England will join junior doctors on their second proposed day of action on Tuesday, December 8, 2015.

Mick Armstrong, chair of the British Dental Association said, “This contract matters to all healthcare professionals. The Government is seeking to impose a deal that will force juniors to disregard some of the basic lessons from their training and put their futures and patient care on the line. No doctor or dentist should ever be put in that position.

“Our profession does not fit any lazy ‘militant’ caricature. We have reached this point because government has proved so unwilling to compromise on a fundamentally flawed contract. We believe a mandate for action will send the clearest possible message that the proposed contract is both unfair and unsafe for both patients and practitioners. 

Further information is available on the Juniors Contract page of the BDA website.