Lanarkshire health workers urged to accept new pay offer by union

Lanarkshire nurses have been urged to accept a new pay deal by the country’s largest health union.More than 50,000 health workers across the country have begun to vote on the Scottish Government’s final pay offer – with UNISON recommending its members accept the offer.UNISON says it is recommending the offer to members as it believes it is the best that can be achieved through negotiation.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android The union states that the final pay offer would increase the NHS pay bill in Scotland by over £500m and an average of 7.5 per cent.It would see bands one to four receive a flat rate payment of £2205; bands five to seven receive pay increases ranging from £2280 to £2660; and band 8A receive a five per cent increase.Wilma Brown, chair of UNISON Scotland’s health committee, said: “We have decided to recommend this offer to our members, as we believe it’s the best that can be achieved through negotiations.

It will go some way to helping NHS members with the cost-of-living crisis.“However, as we have said to the Scottish government, there’s a huge amount of work to do to get our NHS back to being world class again.

This must be the start of the reforms and investment needed to get the NHS back to full health.”Matt McLaughlin, UNISON Scotland’s head of health, added: “Our digital