Scottish pay talks off to a "disappointing" start

Health union negotiators said there was a disappointing start to the resumed NHS Scotland Pay negotiations yesterday, when it became clear that there was no substance to the Cabinet Secretary’s pre-meeting rhetoric.

Having trailed negotiation talks with promises of a ‘significantly improved offer’ – and despite the presence of the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf, staff side negotiators felt deeply let down by the failure of the Scottish Government to deliver any ‘significant improvement’.

Staff side expectation is that pay talks will resume again next week and Society representatives say they will continue to push the claim for a fair pay rise and will ensure members are kept informed of developments.

Vote Yes

They say that, despite the resumption of talks, it has never been more important for members to return their ballot paper – and to vote YES to strike action.

“You need to keep up the pressure on the Government – you need to press home your legitimate claim for a fair pay rise,” said the SoR.