Following consultation, members of the BDA in Scotland have agreed to accept the most recent pay offer from the Scottish Government. 62% voted in favour and 38% against the new pay award.
The updated offer gives NHS workers on Agenda for Change terms and conditions an average increase of 7.5%. The offer is an improvement on the original 5% offer for the vast majority of BDA members, with those starting on Band 5 receiving 8.73% and those at the top of Band 7 receiving 5.56%.
The BDA believes that this is the best outcome achievable by negotiation at this time.
A full run down of the pay award is available here.
Annette Mansell-Green, Director of Trade Union and Public Affairs says, “Although this is not the above inflation pay rise that we have been asking for, we believe that it is a step forward in tackling the pay shortfalls over the last 12 years and securing a better future for our members and the NHS in Scotland.
“We will continue to work with sister unions to press our case with negotiators, to ensure that future pay awards are adequate in meeting the needs of our members and to address the serious problems in NHS staff recruitment and retention.”
Talks between the Scottish Government and unions, including the BDA, have been taking place since the original offer in June. A further offer in October was rejected, which led to an industrial action ballot getting underway. The BDA suspended its industrial ballot in Scotland earlier in December to consult on the new offer.
The joint NHS Scotland Terms and Conditions Committee Staff Side will be meeting this week to discuss the position of all unions and plan for next steps.
