Commenting on the above-inflation, two-year pay offer made today (Tuesday) by the Scottish government to health unions, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“Talks with Scottish ministers have delivered a serious wage offer for NHS staff north of the border.
“Their English colleagues, and health workers in Wales and Northern Ireland, will understandably be feeling more than a little envious.
“Scottish health workers already earn more each hour. Now they could get this year’s wage rise before everyone else too.
“Meanwhile across the rest of the UK, the wait goes on. NHS staff were due a wage boost a week ago, but since then they’ve not heard a peep from ministers.
“The Westminster government’s insistence on waiting for the painfully slow NHS pay review body process before announcing this year’s increase hasn’t gone down well with health staff. It’s causing a headache for their employers too.
“Governments in London, Cardiff and Belfast should have taken up the offer of pay talks with unions when they had the chance. Health workers are key to turning around the fortunes of the NHS. The backlogs, waits and delays won’t be fixed until pay is sorted.
“Ministers should take a leaf out of the Scottish government’s book and get moving with this year’s NHS pay rise.”
Notes to editors:
–The Scottish government’s offer to health unions is 4.25% for this year and 3.75% for 2026/27. It also includes an ‘inflation guarantee’, which means, if accepted, NHS staff in Scotland would be paid 1% above the CPI rate of inflation should that increase. UNISON’s Scottish health committee meets to consider the offer on Friday.
–NHS workers across the UK should have received their 2025/26 annual wage rise last week (Tuesday 1 April). But this has been delayed as the Westminster government has opted to stick with the NHS pay review body process, instead of having talks with health unions. Delays to the 2025/25 pay increase have already forced an emergency intervention to boost wages for the lowest-paid NHS workers and avoid trusts being in breach of minimum wage laws. And overseas health workers due to renew their visas from this week could find themselves at risk of deportation as the salary threshold is going up, and some could now be earning too little to qualify.
– Christina McAnea will be talking about NHS pay when she delivers her speech to UNISON’s annual health conference in Liverpool this afternoon. The three-day event is attended by health workers from across the UK and opened in the city yesterday.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
The article Pay talks lead to NHS wage offer in Scotland, but the wait continues elsewhere, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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