A nurse in Scotland would be paid around £5,000 more than their counterparts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
NHS workers in Scotland have been offered an average pay rise of 6.5% to end the ongoing dispute over pay.
The new deal would see the pay of an experienced frontline nurse rise to £37,664 – nearly £5,000 more than their counterparts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
It comes only hours after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced it would ramp up strike action in England after Westminster systematically rejected calls to negotiate over NHS pay and working conditions.
Nursing staff in England are now set to withdraw all but “life and limb” care from the morning of Wednesday 1 March until the morning of Friday 3 March.
Negotiations.
The RCN has said it will now consider the offer and previously said it would not take strike action while a viable offer was on the table.
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director, explained, “Negotiations are the preferable way to resolve disputes so it was the correct decision to see these negotiations through to their conclusion. The very strong strike mandate from RCN members in Scotland is what brought the Scottish government back to the negotiating table.
“We now have a new offer for consideration and, as has been the case before, it is RCN members who will make the decision about what happens next. That process begins with RCN Scotland Board members looking at the offer in detail.”
If accepted it would end a long campaign for fair NHS pay in Scotland.
Difficult decision.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf explained, “We have engaged extensively with trade union representatives over recent weeks, leaving no stone unturned to reach an offer which responds to the key concerns of staff. Our healthcare staff have shown how dedicated and hardworking they are time and again and I cannot thank them enough for their commitment, particularly over the last few challenging years.
“This ensures that Scotland’s NHS Agenda for Change staff are, by far and away, the best paid anywhere in the UK.
Mr Humza added, “We have taken difficult decisions to find this money within the health budget because we know that our staff are the very backbone of the NHS and we are committed to supporting them, particularly during a cost of living crisis.”
Proposed Pay Scales
| Band | 2022/23 | Pay Offer | £ Uplift | % Uplift | |
| 1 | 1 | £21,692 | £23,240 | £1,548 | 7.10% |
| 2 | 1 | £21,814 | £23,362 | £1,548 | 7.10% |
| 2 | £23,820 | £25,368 | £1,548 | 6.50% | |
| 3 | 1 | £23,914 | £25,468 | £1,554 | 6.50% |
| 2 | £25,808 | £27,486 | £1,678 | 6.50% | |
| 4 | 1 | £25,914 | £27,598 | £1,684 | 6.50% |
| 2 | £28,187 | £30,019 | £1,832 | 6.50% | |
| 5 | 1 | £28,384 | £30,229 | £1,845 | 6.50% |
| 2 | £30,329 | £32,300 | £1,971 | 6.50% | |
| 3 | £35,365 | £37,664 | £2,299 | 6.50% | |
| 6 | 1 | £35,522 | £37,831 | £2,309 | 6.50% |
| 2 | £37,087 | £39,498 | £2,411 | 6.50% | |
| 3 | £43,286 | £46,100 | £2,814 | 6.50% | |
| 7 | 1 | £43,422 | £46,244 | £2,822 | 6.50% |
| 2 | £45,080 | £48,010 | £2,930 | 6.50% | |
| 3 | £50,506 | £53,789 | £3,283 | 6.50% | |
| 8a | 1 | £53,513 | £56,992 | £3,479 | 6.50% |
| 2 | £57,767 | £61,522 | £3,755 | 6.50% | |
| 8b | 1 | £63,530 | £67,285 | £3,755 | 5.90% |
| 2 | £68,223 | £71,978 | £3,755 | 5.50% | |
| 8c | 1 | £75,711 | £79,466 | £3,755 | 5.00% |
| 2 | £81,426 | £85,181 | £3,755 | 4.60% | |
| 8d | 1 | £90,590 | £94,345 | £3,755 | 4.10% |
| 2 | £94,629 | £98,384 | £3,755 | 4.00% | |
| 9 | 1 | £107,840 | £111,595 | £3,755 | 3.50% |
| 2 | £112,673 | £116,428 | £3,755 | 3.30% | |
