The largest health union in Scotland has threatened to ballot its members on strike action unless the health secretary kickstarts NHS pay talks for 2025-26.
Unison Scotland this week wrote to Neil Gray, cabinet secretary for health and social care, urging him to commence pay talks before 1 April – when the uplift is due in nurse pay packets.
“The health secretary must come to the table with a credible pay offer without further delay”
Matt McLaughlin
In the letter, seen by Nursing Times, the union said that if adequate progress is not made on reaching an acceptable offer by the deadline, it would initiate a consultative ballot for strike action on pay.
It said it would recommend in this ballot that its members vote in favour of taking industrial action.
Unison Scotland said in the letter that all its branches would be getting “ballot ready” in anticipation of the government failing to meet the deadline.
It argued that, now parliament had passed the Scottish budget, in which health and social care services were handed £21.7bn, there were no barriers stopping Mr Gray from getting around the negotiating table.
Over the last few years, Scotland has held direct pay negotiations between health unions and the government, rather than using the UK-wide NHS Pay Review Body.
In recent weeks, joint trade unions have been pressing the Scottish Government to open negotiations for the 2025-26 pay round through the staff side of the Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee.
It follows similar delays in 2024, when the Scottish Government did not commence pay talks until July – some three months after the uplift was due to be paid.
Also this week, unions have expressed anger after Mr Gray announced that he would delay the implementation of the reduced 36-hour working week for Agenda for Change staff, as promised during the 2023-24 pay talks.
While the first 30-minute reduction was enforced last year, Mr Gray announced that the further hour reduction had been pushed back until 1 April 2026.
Matt McLaughlin
Unison Scotland co-lead for health Matt McLaughlin said: “The health secretary must come to the table with a credible pay offer without further delay, as anger is growing amongst NHS staff.
“The government says it values NHS workers. But once again ministers are late starting pay talks and have already ditched an agreement to reduce the working week this year.
“Staff feel like they’ve been left high and dry. Unless talks start soon, Unison will have no choice but to start a consultative strike ballot.”
In response to Unison’s concerns, Mr Gray said: “I meet with trade unions on a regular basis, and most recently met with Unison on 18 February.
“At this meeting we discussed pay, and I informed them that we will seek to enter pay negotiations to secure a pay deal for 2025-26 as soon as practically possible.”
Meanwhile, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Scotland has also criticised the lack of pay talks, as well as the delays to implementing the reduced working week.
Mr Gray faced challenging questions last week from RCN Scotland board members at an in-person meeting in Edinburgh.
Nursing union members told the health minister that the delays had “eroded trust” in the Scottish Government.
Colin Poolman
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland director, told Nursing Times that the Scottish Government “must start pay negotiations immediately”.
He said: “They have already passed the point where an offer can be made, consulted on and be in payslips from 1 April 2025.
“This is unacceptable and unfair on hard working staff who are already under enormous strain due to system pressures, high vacancy rates and increased demand for care in all sectors.”
Read more about nursing workforce issues in Scotland
