For Scottish BDA Members:
You may have seen the recent communication from Scottish Government regarding Annual Leave Buyback and Carry Over. The Scottish Trade Union side has not agreed to this and we have a number of concerns about the buyback of leave.
- We would encourage all members to take annual leave from a Health & Safety point of view. It is imperative that members take appropriate leave so that they are getting a rest from their working environment.
- Since the start of the pandemic members have gone above and beyond to keep the NHS functioning. Rest is important in normal times but even more so in these extraordinary times.
- Burnout and increased absence rates occur when staff do not have proper rest. There is a concern that getting overworked colleagues to do even more on top of their present workload could have negative consequences for them and the service.
- There are also deeply held concerns at the potential of pressure being exerted by managers on workers to utilise such a buyback scheme (and in turn pressure being put on managers to carry out such actions).
We encourage close partnership working where staffside, employers and government reach consensual agreement for the good of all staff. Patient care is best achieved through a workforce which has a well resourced and supported working environment.
