Doctors to be quizzed on pensions

The British Medical Association (BMA) has revealed that 130,000 doctors and medical students will be surveyed about the Government's decision regarding reforms to their pensions.

The association said it would ask them whether the current offer is acceptable and what action they would be willing to take, raising the prospect of the BMA's first industrial action ballot for over 30 years.

Although the BMA acknowledged that the Government has made a significant improvement on the original offer, it said it could still lead to doctors being "hit hard".

It has been estimated that doctors currently at the start of their careers potentially face paying out over £200,000 in additional lifetime contributions.

The last time the BMA took strike action was over junior doctors' working conditions in the mid 1970s. It did not take part in the large-scale public sector strikes which were seen in November.

Copyright Press Association 2012