NHS pay offer in Scotland gets backing from RCN members
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Scotland are the latest to give the green light to the government’s 2024-25 NHS pay offer.
RCN Scotland has announced that 61% of its relevant members who took part in the ballot have voted to accept the 5.5% uplift put forward in August.
“This is not the end; we will continue the fight for fair pay and safe staffing”
Julie Lamberth
Unlike in England, the Scottish Government needs approval from unions before implementing the deal because it is taking a negotiation approach to pay rather than using the NHS Pay Review Body.
RCN Scotland now joins other nursing and midwifery unions in announcing that its members have accepted the offer.
As reported by Nursing Times last week, Unison, Unite and the Royal College of Midwives have also received approval from their members for the deal.
All NHS unions in Scotland are meeting this afternoon to discuss their ballot results and to agree a joint response to the government.
While a majority of their members accepted the offer, RCN Scotland noted that a “significant minority” rejected it, which it said signalled “continued frustration and concern” over pay and workforce issues.
Julie Lamberth, chair of the RCN Scotland board, said: “We believe it was right that our members had their say on this offer.
“The result of the vote shows that Scottish Government still have more to do. This is not the end; we will continue the fight for fair pay and safe staffing.”
In addition, many unions have highlighted their disappointment over the lateness of the 2024-25 pay offer, which was first due in April 2024.
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland director, said his union had made clear that it wants negotiations for 2025-26 to begin “in a timely fashion”.
More widely, he warned that further reform of Agenda of Change would be needed going forward to ensure nursing staff are fairly paid.
“There is still much to do to ensure the safety critical role of nursing is recognised and rewarded,” he said.
The news that RCN Scotland members have accepted their offer comes on the same that RCN members in England have voted to reject their 5.5% pay award for 2024-25.
While the consultation results do not affect the implementation of the deal in England, it could pave the way for new strike action by nurses in the future.
