The words to use
- Industrial action
- Employees stopping or limiting work to pressure their employer in a dispute, usually after a union ballot. A strike is the best-known form.
- Self-employed contractor
- Someone who sells their services rather than working as an employee. Most NHS dentists in high-street practices work this way, so they have no employer to strike against.
- Contract handback
- A practice ending all or part of its NHS dental contract, often to work privately. It is lawful and quiet, and the lost NHS capacity may not return.
- Strike mandate
- A union ballot result that allows lawful industrial action for a set period. Consultants in England won one in July 2026, but no dates were set by October.
- Resident doctors
- Doctors in training, formerly called junior doctors. In England they accepted a pay and jobs deal on 29 June 2026, ending their strikes.
