Scotland’s health secretary, Humza Yousaf, has said that trade unions can expect a significantly improved pay offer for nurses next time they sit down to talk.
Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland yesterday, Mr Yousaf told listeners that ‘we will be recommencing negotiations with the Agenda for Change trade unions including those that represent the nursing staff’.
The RCN has been calling for a pay rise of 5% above inflation, currently standing at 9.9%, but no Government has yet made an offer approaching that figure.
In a statement given to Nursing in Practice, Mr Yousaf said: ‘Any ballot for industrial action is disappointing. We are engaged with health unions and I hope we can come to an agreement on pay in the near future. This work continues in the context of our Emergency Budget Review following the UK Government’s fiscal event.’
While Mr Yousaf said on Good Morning Scotland that any pay offer would have to be ‘within the financial envelope, that I don’t have to take money away from cancer services or mental health services’, he also conceded that it was fair for unions to draw comparisons with the pay rise of up to 10% offered to some Scottish council workers.
Unison, meanwhile, say that they have received no information about the pay offer, although talks are due next week.
Unison Scotland’s head of health Matt McLaughlin told Nursing in Practice that ‘there is an absolute strength of feeling amongst unison members in NHS Scotland and it would be a foolish Government that does not treat them with the respect they deserve’,
‘However, I am sure that they will be furious that the Minister thinks they can be emotionally blackmailed with a threat to cuts in cancer services and mental health provision. For the Scottish Government to suggest that a pay offer might be contingent on cost to life saving services is a very low blow.’
