Will NHS nurses and staff in Tayside and Fife accept the latest pay deal on the table?
Last week, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf announced a “best and final pay offer.”
Now it has been confirmed up to 100,000 Royal College of Nursing (RCN) nursing staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will strike in the long-running dispute over pay.
But what happens next in Scotland?
And when are we likely to know if NHS staff are going to accept or reject the pay deal here?
The long-running pay talks have seen nurses and NHS staff reject previous offers made.
NHS staff were offered what the Scottish Government said was “a record pay rise” at the end of October.
The offer was for £2,205 for every NHS worker. That followed a previous offer of 5%.
What’s the latest pay offer?
The proposed pay deal is an average uplift of 7.5%.
Front line workers will receive pay rises ranging from £2,205 to £2,751, which is a further improvement on the existing offer for staff in Bands 5-8A.
For the lowest paid it represents a rise of 11.3%.
If the offer is agreed this pay uplift will also be backdated to April.
It also includes a review into reducing the working week to 36 hours, and a commitment to review job descriptions of Band 5 roles.
What are the unions saying?
James O’Connell, Unite’s lead negotiator for NHS Scotland, has welcomed the new offer, and the commitment made by the health secretary.
He says: “Unite believes the improved offer deserves to be considered by our members across the NHS.
“We will be balloting members on this offer and it is for them to decide if the offer meets their expectations.”
Unison Scotland’s health committee is recommending their members vote to accept the offer.
Wilma Brown, chair of the committee says: “Negotiators believe this offer is a final offer and the best that can be achieved through negotiation.
“Negotiations have been long and tough.
“But we believe we now have a final offer from the government.”
‘RCN will act on mandate for strike’
Julie Lamberth, chair of RCN Scotland Board adds: “The Scottish Government is repeatedly failing to recognise the clinical skill, expertise and leadership of registered nurses.
“It is essential all members working in the NHS have their say on what the Scottish Government says is its ‘best and final’ offer.
“If our members vote to reject the latest revised offer, the RCN will act on the clear mandate for strike action voted for by members.”
What’s next for workers?
Members of the Unite and Unison unions are now being balloted on the new offer.
It’s expected that the results of those ballots will be known by December 12.
The RCN board reviewed the details of the offer and confirmed they will now ballot their members on the revised deal.
Conversation