A ‘best and final offer’ has been made to NHS workers following pay negotiations with trade unions and employers, says the Scottish Government.
The increased offer was made after negotiations between the Scottish Government and NHS unions in a bid to avoid strike action.
The Scottish Government said the ‘record high pay offer, the best in the UK’ would see health workers given pay rises ranging from £2,205 to £2,751.
It would be backdated to April.
The offer also includes a review into reducing the working week to 36 hours, and a commitment to review job descriptions of Band 5 roles.
‘No stone unturned’ in pay rise talks
The pay offer represents a rise of 11.3% for the lowest paid and an average uplift of 7.5% for others across the bands.
Around 160,000 employees including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals and healthcare support staff would receive the rise.
The government says this would be a rise of between £1,149 and £2,834 more than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK.
Strikes were set to begin before the end of the year in what would be the first NHS industrial action across the UK in the 106-year history of the Royal College of Nursing RCN.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We have engaged tirelessly with trade union representatives over recent weeks, leaving no stone unturned to reach an offer which responds to the key concerns of staff across the service.
‘Best and final pay offer’
“This best and final pay offer of over half a billion pounds underlines our commitment to supporting our fantastic NHS staff.
“A newly qualified nurse would see a pay rise of 8.7%, and experienced nurses would get uplifts of between £2,450 and £2,751.
‘Backdated to April’
“We are making this offer at a time of extraordinary financial challenges to the Scottish Government.
“We have made the best offer possible to get money into the pockets of hard working staff and to avoid industrial action, in what is already going to be an incredibly challenging winter.
“If the offer is agreed this pay uplift will also be backdated to April.”
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is reported to be considering the revised pay offer.
Conversation