Largest health union suspends strike ballot to consult NHS members on Scottish government’s £2,205 flat rate pay offer

NHS union, UNISON will ask members if they are willing to accept the latest pay offer from Scottish government in a consultative digital ballot early next week.

The decision to further consult members was made by UNISON Scotland health committee which met this afternoon (Wednesday 26 October).

The new £2,205 flat rate offer came after UNISON negotiators, with other NHS unions, met with representatives from the Scottish government at the end of last week.

The Scottish government flat rate pay offer of £2,205 is to all NHS staff on Agenda for Change pay grades – effective from 1 April 2022

Wilma Brown, chair of the health committee said: “After our meeting this afternoon UNISON has agreed to suspend its NHS strike ballot so we can consult NHS members over the Scottish government £2205 pay offer to all NHS staff.

“This is a final pay offer from the Scottish government, it is also significantly different from the previous offers, so we think it is right that NHS members decide whether they are willing to accept it. UNISON is a member led union, so members will decide. NHS staff are working through two crises: an NHS crisis and a cost-of-living crisis.
“This offer will go some way to helping them with the latter but we have a huge amount of work to do to get our NHS to be world class again, irrespective of the outcome of this consultation the Scottish government need to see this as the beginning of a journey back to full health for the NHS”

Notes
The Scottish government pay offer is here: https://unison-scotland.org/wp-content/uploads/01-FINAL-OFFER.pdf

UNISON will suspend its strike ballot of 50,000 NHS members. The strike ballot was due to close on 31 October. It will close today.

UNISON is the largest union in the NHS. UNISON Scotland represents 50,000 NHS workers across Agenda for Change including: nurses, midwives and support staff such as domestics, porters and admin workers. The union has membership in every health board in Scotland.

UNISON contacts
Matt McLaughlin, head of health: 07904 341979
Wilma Brown, health committee chair: 07974 027847
Danny Phillips, communication officer: 07717 715277 /07944 664110