NHS workers offered pay rise for next year

Unison has welcomed a new pay offer from the Scottish government

A new pay offer for NHS staff for the coming year has been made by the Scottish government despite some unions being in dispute over last year's deal.

Nurses, midwives and paramedics are among NHS workers who have been offered a one-off payment and an average salary rise of 6.5% from April.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland described it as "credible".

The Scottish government said the new offer would make Scotland's NHS staff by far the best paid in the UK.

Unison and Unite have already accepted the 2022 offer, worth an average of about 7.5%.

The RCN, the Royal College of Midwives and the GMB, however, remain in dispute about last year's deal , and have a mandate to strike.

They agreed to put strike action on hold while negotiations on the 2023 offer took place.

RCN Scotland director Colin Poolman said that offer would now have to be considered in detail by RCN board members.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live programme: "The Scottish government have said to us this is the best they can possibly do.

"They have been difficult and tough negotiations as these things are, but this is a very credible offer that our members now need to consider."

Mr Poolman said the new offer also included a serious commitment around reforming Agenda for Change (AfC), the current NHS grading and pay system for staff.

"We have been campaigning for a number of years to say that we need to look at various aspects of AfC," he added.

"The Scottish government and employers have agreed with us on that and that is now a part of that consideration for our members to consider and give us their views."

What is the new offer?

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said no stone had been left unturned to reach an offer.

The Scottish government said it had committed an extra £568m to the 2023/24 offer to 160,000 NHS Scotland workers on Agenda for Change contracts.

Staff up to Band 8a will see an uplift of at least 6.5%.

In addition, all staff will receive a one-off payment between £387 and £939 depending on banding.

It's perhaps not surprising that Unison has welcomed this new pay offer. As the largest healthcare workers union, they represent a larger proportion of lower paid NHS staff and towards the end of last year had already pulled the threat of any strike action. Nevertheless, they will still consult members over the deal.

The Royal College of Nursing, and two other unions, still have a mandate to strike. The RCN has issued a cooler response to this offer. It says it will be for members to decide. But for now strike action is on hold.

This deal would see the likes of a charge nurse earn 6.5% more, with a one-off additional payment thrown in and a review of working hours.

It also doesn't apply to doctors or dentists whose salaries are negotiated at UK level. And we will see junior doctors consult on the prospect of strike action soon.

What is the government saying?

Agenda For Change staff are in line for the offer, including paramedics, nurses, midwives and porters.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said an extra £1bn was going into NHS staff pay over two years and newly-qualified nurse would see their pay increase by 15.8%.

He said an experienced nurses at the top of band 5 would see their pay improve by over £4,700 over the two years.

Mr Yousaf said Scotland's NHS Agenda for Change staff were by far the best paid anywhere in the UK.

He said: "In fact, for NHS England to catch-up with Scotland the UK government would need to offer increases in 2023/24 of over 14% at the top of band 5, over 13% at the top of band 6, and over 12% at the top of band 7."

Last November, Unison members voted to accept a deal on NHS wages for the current pay year ending in March.

Wilma Brown, from Unison's health committee, welcomed the 2023 offer, but said NHS workers were rightly angry that it took government so long to settle last year's pay claim.

She said: "It's good to see that the government has listened and come forward with an offer for next year, a good few weeks ahead of 1 April. "