Doctors' union calls strike on 21 June

Doctors will take industrial action on 21 June in a dispute over pensions, the British Medical Association has announced. Its members will provide urgent and emergency care but will postpone non-urgent cases.

The doctors voted for industrial action for the first time since 1975 to protest against the government's planned shake-up of their pensions.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said separate ballots of six branches of its 130,000-strong membership, including GPs and hospital consultants, had produced an overall majority in favour of action, on a 50% turnout.

The union is proposing that doctors will continue to provide all urgent and emergency care during any industrial action, in order to safeguard patients' welfare but they will postpone non-urgent work, such as outpatient appointments, for a 24-hour period, either once or twice.

The vote sets up a major confrontation with ministers, who have given little ground over the BMA's strong complaints that the proposals will force doctors to contribute more to their pensions, work longer, and receive less in retirement on a career-average scheme instead of a final-salary one.