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A new pay offer for NHS staff for this year has been made by the Scottish government, despite some unions still being in dispute over last year's deal.

Nurses, midwives and paramedics are among the NHS workers who have been offered a one-off payment and an average salary increase of 6.5%.

Unison and Unite have already accepted the 2022 offer worth an average of around 7.5%.

But the Royal College of Nursing Scotland (RCN) is still in dispute.

The RCN, as well as the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the GMB, have a mandate to strike but agreed to put it on hold while negotiations on the 2023 offer took place.

The Scottish government said the new offer would make Scotland's NHS staff the best paid in the UK.

Unison has welcomed the offer and plans to consult members from next week.

What is the new offer?

The Scottish government says it has committed an extra £568m to the 2023/24 offer to 160,000 NHS Scotland workers on Agenda for Change contracts.

Staff up to Band 8a will see an uplift of at least 6.5%.

In addition, all staff will receive a one-off payment between £387 and £939 depending on banding.

Examples of increased pay - consolidated over two years - include:

The official pay offer says £1bn investment over two years will see staff receive a pay rise of between 5.4% and 19.26% - a cash uplift of between £3,753 and £6,506.

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What is the government saying?

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said no stone had been left unturned to reach an offer.

He said: "Over the two years of this £1bn of increased investment in NHS Agenda for Change, a newly qualified nurse would see their pay increase by 15.8%, and experienced nurses at the top of band 5 would see their pay improve by over £4,700.

"This ensures that Scotland's NHS Agenda for Change staff are, by far and away, the best paid anywhere in the UK. In fact, for NHS England to catch-up with Scotland the UK government would need to offer increases in 2023/24 of over 14% at the top of band 5, over 13% at the top of band 6, and over 12% at the top of band 7.

"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. I am grateful for the continued efforts around the table and that the trade unions will now put this to their members."

What is the unions' response?

Wilma Brown, from Unison's health committee, said: "NHS workers were rightly angry that it took government so long to settle last year's pay claim. That's why securing the commitment not to delay talks for the coming pay year was so important.

"It's good to see that the government has listened and come forward with an offer for next year, a good few weeks ahead of 1 April. The union will begin its consultation with NHS members as soon as possible."

The union's head of health Matt McLaughlin said: "This is a credible pay offer for NHS workers, and needs serious consideration. As always it's down to Unison's health members to decide whether to accept.

"NHS staff in Scotland are already the best paid in the UK. If the offer is accepted, it'll provide a one-off payment of £387 plus at least 6.5% built into the pay scales for the majority of staff.

"That means over two years Unison will have secured a pay rise of over 14% for most registered nurses and almost 20% for the lowest paid in the NHS."

RCN Scotland said its board members would look at the offer in detail.

Its director Colin Poolman said: "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."

It's perhaps not surprising that Unison has welcomed this new pay offer. As the largest healthcare workers union, they represent a larger proportion of lower paid NHS staff and towards the end of last year had already pulled the threat of any strike action. Nevertheless, they will still consult members over the deal.

The Royal College of Nursing, and two other unions, still have a mandate to strike. The RCN has issued a cooler response to this offer. It says it will be for members to decide. But for now strike action is on hold.

This deal would see the likes of a charge nurse earn 6.5% more, with a one-off additional payment thrown in and a review of working hours.

It also doesn't apply to doctors or dentists whose salaries are negotiated at UK level. And we will see junior doctors consult on the prospect of strike action soon.

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