Industrial action in England
We campaign for fair pay for all dentists in England. This mandate includes negotiating with the Government and, when all other options have been exhausted, coordinating industrial action.
Fair pay for hospital dentists in England
We are continuing our campaign for fair pay for hospital dentists. In recent years, that has seen us work with the BMA to take strike action and to negotiate pay deals with Government.
This year’s recommended pay uplift for all hospital dentists does not redress the pay erosion that has been experienced since 2008-9. We therefore re-entered into dispute with Government regarding resident, consultant and SAS dentists' pay in England.
We have strongly urged Government to commence negotiations with the BMA to deliver fair pay for all hospital doctors and dentists and avoid a furtherance of this dispute.
BMA Resident Doctors’ strike action in England
In furtherance of their pay restoration and jobs campaign and following a successful ballot of their resident doctors in England, the BMA has called on these members to take strike action from 17 December to 22 December 2025.
Although we are united with the BMA in its pay restoration campaign, the BDA does not currently have a mandate for equivalent strike action; we will therefore not be calling on our resident members to strike alongside their BMA colleagues. If you do choose to strike with your medical colleagues, this action will not be lawful, and you will not be guaranteed protection from dismissal.
Only dual qualified resident dentists who are also BMA members can participate in the upcoming strike action.
Please direct any queries regarding the BMA’s upcoming action to [email protected]
The BMA ballot and the BDA ballot
Trade unions are required by law to ballot their members independently. Even though hospital dentists and doctors work on the same contracts, the BDA and BMA will need to conduct separate ballots.
Only those who are dual qualified and members of both the BDA and BMA will be balloted by both unions.
It is vital to confirm your information and secure your voice now if you are a resident dentist, SAS, or consultant dentist
In addition to calling for strike action for resident doctors, the BMA is also conducting an indicative ballot of their SAS and consultant doctor members.
Our campaign for fair pay for hospital dentists continues, and we may decide to ballot our hospital dentist members for strike action; we’re therefore getting ballot ready.
To be able to include you in the ballot, we need to confirm:
- That you work on a hospital contract
- What your job title is
- The name of your workplace and employer
- While you complete this vital information, we also want to know what you think about this pay dispute and potential strike action.
Secure your voice now as a resident dentist, SAS or consultant dentist.