Unison health staff vote to accept pay offer from Scottish government

The offer was accepted by GMB members earlier this week. Credit: PA

Members of Scotland's largest NHS union Unison have voted to accept the latest pay offer from the Scottish Government.

A total of 78.5% of voting members in a digital ballot voted in favour of accepting the offer, on a turnout of 54% of eligible members.

The offer, which has been made to 160,000 NHS staff including nurses, midwives and paramedics, was accepted by GMB Scotland earlier in the week.

The pay offer equates to an average 6.5% increase in pay in 2023/24.

It also includes the commitment to modernising Agenda for Change, which is almost two decades old, to support workforce recruitment, sustainability and retention.

Unison Scotland's health committee chair Wilma Brown said: "While acceptance of this pay offer removes the spectre of industrial action, there is no room for complacency.<

"This deal does nothing to solve the NHS Scotland staffing crisis. Government commitments to review the working week, deliver fair wage rises on romotion and tackle the workforce crisis must make rapid progress.

"They must also be backed up with new money to ensure patients and staff get the NHS they deserve."

The union's head of health Matt Mclaughlin said: "This deal was agreed after intensive talks between the government, unions and employers.

"There's now a need to get back around the table to sort out the staffing crisis in Scotland's NHS. Patients are waiting too long for routine operations and staff are working under unacceptably stressful conditions.

"Unison has agreed to go straight back into talks with the government to review nursing, reduce staff vacancies and look again at NHS pay structures. The NHS needs to be made fit for purpose so staff can provide a world-class service."

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