Thank you for your email regarding the Scottish Government’s latest pay offer for NHS nurses.
As you will be aware, Humza Yousaf has made three pay offers to date, which have fallen way short of the Royal College of Nursing Scotland’s ask for a pay award that goes 5% above inflation. The RCN announced that, whilst not making a recommendation, they will ballot its members as to whether the most recent offer should be accepted.
I should state, from the outset, that the decision as to whether this offer is accepted lies solely with members. After all, it is nurses that have faced years of real terms pay cuts that have pushed their colleagues out of the nursing profession and put patient safety at risk.
I note that the Cabinet Secretary claims that this is the “best and final” offer, and that “there’s no more – nada, zilch, nothing”. Whether this is true or not, remains to be seen. This Scottish Government has a habit of finding more money when it is politically expedient to do so.
Irrespective of the outcome of this ballot, the fact remains that this Health Secretary is failing staff and patients across our NHS. Our NHS is in a perpetual crisis, with record waiting times, whilst our incredible and hardworking workforce remain undervalued. This cannot go on.
I hope this information is of use to you.