Nursing union to consult members in Scotland over new pay offer

Nurses in Scotland are to be consulted on the Scottish government's latest pay offer, their union has announced.

The offer would mean a pay rise of 11.3% for the lowest paid and an average rise of 7.5%, the government said when it outlined the proposal last week.

The Royal College of Nursing said at the time the offer was "credible" but "still falls short".

It will now ask its members whether to accept the deal.

The union said it was making no recommendation on whether they should do so.

According to the Scottish government, the deal would see NHS workers in Scotland remain the best paid in the UK, with workers getting flat rate pay rises ranging from £2,205 to £2,751, depending on what band they are in.

The new offer for NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals and healthcare support staff also proposes a review into reducing the working week from 37.5 hours to 36 hours with no loss of pay.

The RCN has been asking for pay rises of at least 5% above inflation, which is currently 11.1%.

But Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said the latest offer was his "best and final" one, and told BBC Scotland last week that there was "zilch, nada, nothing left in the coffers" to improve it further.

He added: "It's a great offer, it's a record offer, and I hope that nurses and other NHS staff take a look at it and realise it's a fair offer too, given the financial constraints that we're under."

Julie Lamberth, the chairwoman of the RCN Scotland board, said the Scottish government had "repeatedly failing to recognise the clinical skill, expertise and leadership of registered nurses".

She said none of the pay offers made so far would attract more people into nursing or retain nurses who were thinking of leaving the profession.

Ms Lamberth added: "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."

The vote will last from 5 December until midday on 19 December.

The Unite and GMB unions have both already suspended planned industrial action in Scotland and confirmed that the latest offer will be put to their NHS members in a ballot, while Unison has recommended that its members accept the deal.

It comes as the RCN confirmed that up to 100,000 nursing staff will take part in their biggest ever strike across England, Wales and Northern Ireland - which have separate pay negotiations to Scotland - on 15 and 20 December.