Scottish Unison members vote to accept NHS pay offer
- Published
Unison members demonstrated last year in a bid to be paid more money
Members of Scotland's largest health union have voted to accept a deal that will see most NHS staff receive a 4% pay rise.
Unison said on Wednesday that its members voted "overwhelmingly" for the rise.
The deal has been on the table since the end of March and will be backdated to December, the Scottish government said.
Unison is now calling for the rise to be implemented as soon as possible.
The offer came after a period of negotiation between unions and NHS bosses.
It followed a row in England after Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended plans to give some NHS staff in England a 1% pay rise.
'Above and beyond'
Mr Johnson praised "heroic" health and social care workers but said the rise was as much as the UK government could afford during the "tough times" of the pandemic.
Nurses, paramedics and domestic staff are among those who could receive the boost to their salaries.
Responding to the vote, Unison's head of health Willie Duffy, said the pay rise represented a fair increase for members.
He added: "The fact that 84% of those who took part in the ballot voted in favour of the pay offer shows how much this pay increase means to our members. Scotland's health workers go above and beyond to keep our NHS services running - not just during the pandemic but each and every day - and we're delighted to have secured them a fair pay increase."
The union which represents prison officers who work in the State Hospital at Carstairs - POA Scotland - has also seen its members vote to accept the offer in a ballot.
Assistant General Secretary Phil Fairlie said: "We have a very clear and overwhelmingly supportive response to the pay offer, with 86% of our members voting to accept, from a 70% response rate."
Two health workers' unions have accepted the 4% pay offer after ballots
When she announced the offer, former Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the average pay of a front-line NHS nurse would rise by more than £1,200 a year.
Ms Freeman said the offer - which does not apply to doctors - recognised the "service and dedication" of staff during the pandemic.
It followed the £500 "thank you" payment for all health and social care workers which was announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in November.
However, not all unions were behind the 4% offer.
The GMB union recommended its NHS and Scottish Ambulance Service members vote to reject the offer.
Unison and Unite put the offer to members without recommendation.
And the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) recommended members should reject the Scottish government's deal.
The RCN said Scotland's nurses and healthcare support workers deserved a 12.5% rise for the skill, responsibility and experience they demonstrate every day.
Health workers on Agenda for Change (AfC) pay bands 5-7 are being offered a 4% uplift for 2021-22.
Staff on bands 1-4 who currently earn £24,973 or less would receive a flat rise of £1,009, while staff on the highest bands 8-9 would receive an increase of 2% or less.
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