Scotland's NHS workers balloted over 5% pay offer

Scotland's health service workers are being urged to reject a 5% pay offer from the Scottish government.

The Royal College of Nursing and Unison have both opened ballots to see if members want to reject the offer and if they would consider industrial action if a new deal cannot be reached.

Both unions argue the pay offer is a real-terms pay cut for NHS staff.

The Scottish government has said the pay deal is the largest single-year increase since devolution.

Both Unison and RCN Scotland have recommended members reject the pay offer.

The Unite and GMB unions have done likewise and have already started the process of balloting their members.

The results of all the health union ballots are expected to be known by the middle of August.

The potential pay dispute comes as the Scottish government is involved in similar negotiations with other public sector staff, such as local authority workers and police officers.

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Wilma Brown, chairwoman of the Unison Scotland health committee, said it was urging its 35,000 members in Scotland to "reject this pay offer and indicate that they will take the very difficult decision to take industrial action".

She added: "NHS staff have been taken for granted, staff have endured over 10 years of real terms pay cuts only to be told by the Scottish government that, yet again, they will have to accept a below inflation pay rise.

"NHS staff have family bills to pay, food, energy and petrol prices are rocketing. NHS staff are struggling to afford the price of fuel to get them to work.

"A 5% pay increase across the board just doesn't cut it and the Scottish government need to understand how angry we are."

Depending on roles and experience, the Scottish government's pay proposal would see frontline workers receive pay rises ranging from around £1,000 to £2,400.

All staff would be paid at least £10.50 per hour, with the offer backdated to 1 April.

'Exhausted and undervalued'

Julie Lamberth, chairwoman of the RCN Scotland board, said: "Nursing pay has been held below inflation for years and the spiralling cost of living has only worsened the impact of longstanding low pay.

"With staffing levels at crisis point and nursing vacancies at a record high, there has never been a more important time to fight for the pay that nursing staff deserve.

"Our members are exhausted, feel undervalued and are leaving the profession in large numbers."

Speaking when the pay offer was made in June, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: "Our NHS Agenda for Change workforce - like nursing and midwifery staff, porter staff, and therapy staff - have long had the best pay and conditions in the UK, and with today's offer of a 5% pay rise we're demonstrating our commitment to ensuring that continues to be the case.

"It is a demonstration of how much we value our NHS staff who have worked tirelessly to keep us safe during the course of the pandemic."