Nurses and midwives in Scotland have voted to accept the government’s 8% two-year pay offer.
Unions have been balloting their members on the offer since it was put forward by the Scottish Government in April.
“This is not the end; we will continue the fight for fair pay and safe staffing”
Julie Lamberth
The proposed deal would see Agenda for Change staff in the country receive a 4.25% increase for 2025-26 and a rise of 3.75% for 2026-27.
It also includes an “inflation guarantee”, which will ensure the increase in pay each year is a minimum of one percentage point higher than average Consumer Price Index inflation.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), Unison and Unite have now confirmed that their members have voted to accept the offer.
All health trade unions from the Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee are due to meet tomorrow to discuss their results before reporting the overall outcome to the Scottish Government and NHS employers.
It is looking likely that the deal will be agreed and implemented.
However, Julie Lamberth, RCN Scotland board chair, said the fight for fair pay and safe staffing was not over.
The results from its ballot showed that 60% of RCN Scotland members who took part in the ballot voted to accept the deal.
However, the fact a “significant minority” rejected it demonstrated that there was “continued frustration and concern about the nursing workforce crisis facing Scotland’s NHS”, said the union.
Julie Lamberth, RCN Scotland board chair, 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.”
Meanwhile, Unison Scotland said its members had voted “overwhelmingly” to accept the deal.
Of those who responded to the ballot, 86% accepted it.
Unison Scotland head of health Matt McLaughlin said the deal needed to be implemented without delay.
“NHS workers have accepted the deal,” he said.
“Now, ministers must get the wage rise into their pay packets as soon as possible.”
Similarly to RCN Scotland, Mr McLaughlin warned that staff shortages were among the ongoing challenges that still needed to be addressed.
The RCM’s ballot saw 80% of those who voted opting to accept the pay offer.
“It’s a pay deal which ultimately helps us build better jobs, pay and conditions for workers across the NHS”
Sharon Graham
The midwifery union said the deal was a “a step towards addressing long-term pay cuts”.
Jaki Lambert, the RCM’s director for Scotland, pledged to continue to lobby the government for further pay reforms.
She said: “What we want to see now is this uplift in our members’ pockets as soon as possible.
“So, we are calling on the Scottish Government to swiftly implement this pay deal for our hardworking members without delay.
“There are also elements of this year’s pay claim, including pay modernisation, that have not been addressed in this pay deal – rest assured the RCM will be pushing for negotiation and movement on those as well over the coming months and we will keep members updated on our progress.”
Meanwhile, out of the members of Unite who took part in the union’s ballot, 87% voted to accept the offer.
Unite particularly welcomed the inflation guarantee and warned the Scottish Government that if there was any attempt to renege on this pledge, the union would ballot its members on industrial action.
Sharon Graham, the union’s general secretary, said: “Unite members across NHS Scotland have accepted the pay offer over two years on the basis it is the best negotiable deal.
“It’s a pay deal which ultimately helps us build better jobs, pay and conditions for workers across the NHS.”
The progress in Scotland comes as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland continue to wait for their pay deal for 2025-26.
