NHS Scotland pay rise 2024/25

The UK government has announced a pay rise for England workers at 5.5%. But what will the response of the Scottish Government be?

The Scottish Government has not tasked the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) with making pay recommendations for Scotland for over six years, opting instead for direct negotiations with trade unions annually.

Negotiations for the 2024-25 pay award began on July 26 and will continue until August 8.

Colin Poolman, Director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland Announcement

Colin Poolman, Director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland, emphasized the urgent need for a significant and fair pay increase, stating: “Negotiations will continue next week. We will lobby for any new funding from the Scottish Government, resulting from the pay award in England, to be allocated towards a pay raise for NHS Scotland staff.

“We are committed to consulting our NHS Scotland members once a pay offer is made. We urge all members to ensure their contact and employment details are up-to-date so we can reach them when necessary.”

Scotland’s Health Secretary, Neil Gray, remarked: “I had constructive discussions regarding the pay deal with Agenda for Change trade unions last week and look forward to continuing these talks.

“Before these talks proceed, we are urgently seeking clarification from the UK Government on potential Barnett consequential funding related to the pay deal announcements made on Monday.”

UNISON Members Will Have the Final Say

UNISON Scotland negotiators, along with senior shop stewards and sister NHS unions, will lead the upcoming talks.

The UNISON Scotland health committee, which includes local shop stewards from every health board in Scotland, has scheduled a meeting for early August. Branches are also preparing for potential industrial action if necessary.

However, it is you, the UNISON members, who will ultimately have the final say. We hope to have a pay offer for you to consider soon.

Unions’ Pay Claim

UNISON Scotland, in collaboration with other unions, has submitted a joint pay claim to the Scottish Government for all workers under the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay system. The pay claim aims to achieve:

• An uplift in NHS AfC pay that includes a cost of living element, fairly rewarding our members in the current financial climate and addressing historic pay erosion.
• A robust, fully funded proposal to implement the areas of consensus identified in the AfC Pay Modernisation paper, without diverting funds from the core pay quantum during the implementation phase.
• A commitment to further discuss the areas of AfC pay modernisation where consensus has not yet been reached.