Union votes to accept 5.5% NHS Scotland pay deal

Members of the Unite union working in Scotland's NHS have voted to accept a 5.5% pay rise from the Scottish government.

The offer, which was accepted by 93% of Unite voters, is in line with the deal for NHS workers in England.

It would see almost 170,000 employees - including nurses, midwives, paramedics, porters and others - receive a pay rise backdated to April.

Members of Unison and the Royal College of Nursing unions are still to vote on the pay offer. Both these ballots close on Friday.

James O'Connell, Unite's lead negotiator for the health sector, said the deal would provide a "significant boost to take-home pay".

He added: "Unite has secured an inflation-beating pay increase for our NHS Scotland membership."

With the package worth £448m, Unite has said the pay rise would see the lowest-paid workers receive a £1,278 increase, and a new hourly rate of £12.71.

Doctors are not included in the deal, because they negotiate their pay separately.

Scottish health secretary Neil Gray previously said the package would ensure "Scotland's nurses and NHS staff have the best pay package in the UK"

Scotland is the only nation in the UK to have avoided NHS strike action.

The latest data showed NHS waiting lists in Scotland had reached a record size at the end of March, with 690,000 waits for planned outpatient or inpatient care.