Threat of NHS Scotland strikes over after all unions agree to 5.5% pay rise deal

A pay offer for NHS workers in Scotland impacting nearly 170,000 people has been accepted by all the unions involved in negotiations.

The Scottish Government offered health staff – including nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals, porters and others – a 5.5% salary increase, backdated from April.

The deal will not apply to doctors who negotiate their pay deal separately.

The agreement avoids the threat of strike action impacting Scotland’s NHS this year and has been described by both sides as the “best deal negotiable”.

The package is worth £448m and will come into effect from next month.

Unite, Unison and the Royal College of Nursing are among the unions to have accepted the deal.

Unite said that the lowest-paid workers would get a £1,278 salary increase from the deal and a new hourly rate of £12.71.

NHS workers will receive a package worth £448m STV News

Unison warned the Scottish Government that the deal’s success should not lead to complacency and added, “If ministers are serious about recognising and rewarding NHS staff for the incredible job they do, they need to be far better at dealing with the annual pay round.

“There’s considerable anger that it’s taken 200 days to get an offer on the table, and hard-working staff won’t see a bump in their pay until at least the end of October.”

Health secretary Neil Gray said: “I am pleased that trade unions have unanimously agreed to accept this pay offer, which ensures that nurses and healthcare staff in Scotland, who are part of Agenda for Change, will have the best reward package in the UK.

“I want to express my thanks again to Scotland’s hardworking healthcare staff for the care they provide to patients, day in, day out.

“They are the very backbone of the NHS and we are committed to ensuring they feel supported and valued.”