NewsNHS pay: positive signs in Scotland but strike warnings for rest...

NHS pay: positive signs in Scotland but strike warnings for rest of UK

A ‘best and final offer’ was made to NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) workers in Scotland at the end of November following pay negotiations with trade unions and employers.

The pay offer would see AfC frontline workers receive pay rises from £2205 to £2751.

The offer also includes a review into reducing the working week to 36 hours, a commitment to review the job descriptions of Band 5 roles and protecting learning time for specific groups.

Unite confirmed at the end of November that it would be balloting NHS members on the improved pay offer.

James O’Connell, Unite’s lead negotiator for NHS Scotland welcomed the offer and the commitment made by the health secretary. He also recognised ‘the direct involvement of the first minister’ although ultimately said it would be up to members ‘to decide if the offer meets their expectations’.

‘The NHS is on life support and without proper pay and funding it may not survive. That’s why NHS workers are standing up’

Scottish health secretary Humza Yousaf said he ‘would urge the UK Government to get back to the negotiating table with the unions’.

Meanwhile, in England and Wales, Unite began balloting nearly 10,000 members across the NHS (including community practitioners) for strike action last November, having started around October.

Unite has warned that without serious investment in the NHS and a fair pay rise, 2023 will see a wave of strike action.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘The NHS is on life support and without proper pay and funding it may not survive. That’s why NHS workers are standing up: They know that decent pay is essential to the service’s future.’

Image Credit | Getty

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