NHS pay: nurses voice disgust at latest offer
Nurses in Scotland criticise health minister’s claim that proposed deal would ‘go a long way’ to helping cover rising prices
Nurses in Scotland’s NHS have reacted with disgust at their latest pay offer – hailed by health and social care secretary Humza Yousaf as the largest since devolution.
They are being offered a blanket pay rise of £2,205 backdated to April as ministers attempt to head-off strike action. The government points out the offer gives nurses a more-than 8% pay increase, and the lowest-paid would see their wages rise by 11%.
Nurses vent their frustrations on Twitter
But while the Scottish government said the extra money is ‘going a long way to help with the cost-of-living crisis’, nurses have been expressing their frustration.
RCN Scotland is urging members to press ahead with a ballot for strike action, calling the offer a real-term pay cut as nurses face spiralling bills and inflation.
RCN director for Scotland Colin Poolman said: ‘This offer fails to recognise the clinical skill, expertise and leadership of registered nurses. It will do nothing to address the staffing crisis, the life-threatening delays we are seeing at emergency departments or the lengthy waiting lists for treatment across Scotland’s NHS.
‘Our ballot for strike action continues. I would urge members to vote in favour of strike and to post back their ballot papers now.’
‘Largest pay offer of its kind since devolution’
The Scottish government said backdated pay could be with nurses by Christmas if they accepted the offer.
Mr Yousaf said: ‘This improved pay offer – the largest of its kind since devolution – reflects staff’s hard work and will go a long way to help them through the cost of living crisis.
‘We are rightly focusing the biggest increases on those who are the lowest-paid, as we know the crisis is impacting them disproportionately.’
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