NHS nurses and health workers in Scotland have offered a 5.5% pay rise

NHS nurses and health workers across Scotland have been offered a 5.5% pay rise after what unions described as “months of pressure” for a new contract.

Almost 170,000 staff – including midwives, paramedics, allied health workers and porters – would receive pay increases for 2024-25, retroactive to April.

The proposed deal will cost £448m and is in line with the offer made to NHS staff in England.

The Scottish Government said that if the unions accepted the offer, they would be guaranteed the best NHS pay package in the UK.

Doctors are not covered by the deal, as they negotiate their pay separately.

Colin Poolman, director of the Royal College of Nursing Scotland (RCN), said staff were “rightfully frustrated” that the Scottish Government had “left them waiting while the cost of living continued to rise”.

The RCN is now among the unions representing Agenda for Change workers to consider a pay offer.

However, Mr Poolman said it had taken months of pressure from the RCN and other health unions for the Scottish Government to make a pay offer.

He added: “Our wage claim in February called for an offer that reflects the rise in the cost of living and will address the historic decline in pay.

“Our members will decide whether today’s announcement is sufficient. This process will begin with RCN Scotland’s board members reviewing the offer in detail.”

The director of RCN Scotland highlighted: “Nursing staff are an ever-present and safety-critical workforce across the health and care sector.

“Our salaries don’t reflect that, and they won’t after today. Fair pay is critical to recruiting and retaining nursing staff, filling thousands of nursing vacancies and giving people the care they deserve.”

Unison said it would also consider the offer, although Matt McLaughlin, who leads the union on NHS pay, said: “It is a shame that NHS staff in Scotland have taken so long to receive a pay offer.

“Finally, employees will have the opportunity to decide whether to accept or reject the proposed increase, which is in line with pay rises in many other parts of the UK.”

He added: “NHS staff were given a pay rise five months ago and it is grossly unfair for them to wait this long.

“This delay cannot be repeated in the next pay round. The Scottish Government must recognize that pay changes have a direct impact on staff morale.”

Scottish Government ministers have previously said they are proud that Scotland is the only country in the UK to have avoided NHS strikes

Despite averting strike disruption, the latest figures showed NHS waiting lists in Scotland had reached record levels at the end of March. 690,000 are waiting for scheduled outpatient or inpatient care.

The Scottish Government wanted to build 10 new national treatment centers to tackle the NHS backlog by carrying out 40,000 extra procedures a year, but spending is suspended only three are open and two more will open this year.

The Nuffield Trust found earlier this year that there has been an 80% increase in the number of people going to private hospitals since 2019.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said he hoped unions would accept the offer.

“After weeks of constructive engagement with union representatives, I am delighted to have agreed an offer that recognizes the Payroll Authority’s recommendations, which will ensure the best pay package in the UK for nurses and NHS staff in Scotland,” he said.

“Once again I want to thank Scotland’s hard-working health workers for their dedication and patience – they are the backbone of the NHS and we are committed to supporting them, especially during the cost of living crisis.”

He added: “I’m grateful for the continued efforts at the table and that the unions are now putting this forward to their members.”