NHS Scotland Pay Dispute Latest

GMB agrees to accelerated negotiations on 2023-24 NHS Scotland pay in bid to resolve dispute

Following meetings held yesterday between GMB, RCN, RCM, and the Scottish Government, which produced new proposals aimed at ending the long-running pay dispute affecting Agenda for Change (AfC) staff in NHS Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Public Services Keir Greenaway said:

“After meetings today with our workplace representatives, and after extensive talks yesterday with the Cabinet Secretary and our sister unions with strike mandates, GMB is prepared to engage in good faith with the Scottish Government on fresh proposals to resolve this dispute.

“We welcome the Cabinet Secretary’s invitation to start these negotiations from next week, along with his commitment to effectively backdating the value of any agreed terms for 2023-24 to January 1st, and the protection of our members’ strike mandates for a further three months.

“However, we have also been clear with Cabinet Secretary that our union’s expectation is the negotiation of a further pay offer for 2023-24 that exceeds the existing offer for 2022-23, which will be consulted on by our members and, if agreed, fully implemented by the 1 April.

“If we move forward with pace, the reward is not only a recovery of the value lost on our members pay and conditions as a result of austerity, but an NHS Scotland that can provide better value to recruit and retain the people needed to recover our broken health service.

“This has been a marathon for our members and there is still some distance to go, but their strength has now secured more money for all staff in the year ahead and they will continue to lead on the transformative change of how we value NHS and SAS workers.”

ENDS

Contact: GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway on 07855 017842 or GMB Scotland Communications on 07976 447077.