Nursing union hits out at pay offer as strike threat continues

A nursing union has said the Scottish Government has “failed to listen” to the concerns of nurses in their new pay offer.

The Government and NHS staff have been locked in talks in recent weeks to negotiate a pay offer.

According to the trade union Unison, the offer made on Friday will include a flat rate increase of £2,205 for staff, backdated to April, with other non-financial elements still to be finalised.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which is currently balloting its members over strike action, said this would represent a real terms pay cut for registered nurses.

The union had pushed for an offer of at least 5% above inflation, with the increase for the lowest paid as part of the current proposal would be 11.3%.

RCN Scotland director Colin Poolman said: “Yet again the Scottish Government has failed to listen to our members’ concerns for the safety of their patients.

“They have failed to recognise the safety critical role of all nursing staff and their essential contribution to our NHS and our nation’s health.”

He added: “This offer fails to recognise the clinical skill, expertise and leadership of registered nurses. It will do nothing to address the staffing crisis, the life-threatening delays we are seeing at emergency departments or the lengthy waiting lists for treatment across Scotland’s NHS.

“Our ballot for strike action continues.

“Today’s offer will make our members more determined to have their voice heard. I would urge members to vote in favour of strike and to post back their ballot papers now.”

Meanwhile, Unison said the offer was improved and they would put it to members.

“We are sharing the details with NHS staff right now as they will decide whether this offer is good enough,” said Wilma Brown, the chairwoman of the Unison Health Committee.

“Unison Scotland’s Health Committee will meet on Wednesday to fully consider the detail of the offer and agree the next steps.

“Unison believe that a flat rate offer will help all staff meet at least some of the cost-of-living crisis we are all facing.

“In the meantime, we are still urging all Unison members to vote for industrial action in our postal pay ballot which closes on October 31.”

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf heralded the offer as the largest in Scotland since devolution.

“NHS staff are set to receive a record pay rise of £2,205 – an average 7% pay uplift – to help tackle the cost of living crisis and retain staff during the tougher winter months.

This increased offer was made after constructive negotiations between the Scottish Government and NHS Unions, which lasted into the early hours of Friday morning (21 October).

The offer would mean the lowest paid seeing a rise of more than 11%, with qualified nursing staff receiving up to 8.45%, helping the lowest paid staff through the cost of living crisis.

If agreed, the pay uplift, which amounts to almost half a billion pounds (£480 million), will benefit more than 160,000 employees including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals and healthcare support staff.

This is the largest pay offer given to NHS Scotland Agenda for Change staff since devolution and will mean they remain the best paid in the UK. If accepted, the offer will be backdated to April 1 2022, and could be added to pay cheques in time for Christmas.

“I am grateful to trade union colleagues and NHS employers for constructive discussions on pay,” he said.

“This has been another exceptionally challenging year for our health service and we have a difficult winter ahead, but I am pleased that we are able to recognise the service and dedication of our healthcare and support staff with this pay offer.

“We owe NHS staff a debt of gratitude for leading us through the greatest public health crisis in recent history.

“This improved pay offer, which is the largest of its kind since devolution, reflects their hard work and will go a long way to help them through the cost of living crisis.

“We are rightly focussing the biggest increases for those who are the lowest paid, as we know the cost crisis is impacting them disproportionately.”