NHS staff in Scotland will benefit from a pay rise after April 1.
The Scottish Government has announced that workers will receive a one per cent pay uplift, while staff earning under £21,000 will also receive an additional sum to increase their pay by £300 in total.
It comes as staff in the rest of the UK have been denied the rise recommended by the NHS pay review body (PRB).
Health Secretary Alex Neil said: “I was clear when Jeremy Hunt first suggested reneging on the one per cent pay offer for NHS staff in England that we would block that move here and that we would fully implement the modest increase in Scotland.
“Today, I can confirm we’ll deliver on that approach in Scotland’s NHS, ensuring our hardworking and dedicated staff rightly receive the wage increases they were promised.
“This means that all NHS staff groups in Scotland covered by the remits of these bodies will receive a one per cent pay increase, and we will supplement the pay of those currently earning under £21,000 to ensure they receive a total increase of £300.
“I have also taken steps to ensure that no NHS Scotland worker can be paid below the Scottish Living Wage.
“Our commitment to this pay increase, and to the living wage, for NHS workers underlines our commitment to frontline staff delivering services for the people of Scotland.
“The new rates of pay will be payable from 1 April 2014.”
Tom Waterson, Chairman of Unison’s Scottish health committee, said: “We are delighted the Scottish Government has decided to implement the recommendations of the pay review body in full.
“We would urge the UK Government to also commit to paying health service staff the recommendations in full. We went into these negotiations in good faith and we expect the clear recommendations of the pay review body to be delivered. It is good news for NHS staff that the Scottish Government have committed to doing that.”