An improved pay offer averaging 7.5% has been made to NHS Scotland health workers threatening industrial action.

The Scottish Government's £515million deal will now be considered by unions.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Health Secretary Humza Yousaf were involved in "extensive" talks ahead of yesterday's latest proposal.

The BBC says Unite and GMB have both suspended action by ambulance staff and confirmed that the offer will be put to members in a ballot.

Unite's Scottish Ambulance Service members had planned a work-to-rule today and 1,700 GMB members were scheduled to begin a 26-hour strike on Monday.

The Royal College of Nursing, which had delayed a formal announcement on strikes while negotiations took place this week, confirmed that its board members would consider the detail of an offer that "still does not meet our members' expectations". It had asked for at least 5% above inflation, which is currently 11.1%.

New deal

However, the Scottish Government said the new deal on the table was a "record high pay offer" for front-line employees, including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals and healthcare support staff.

Annual pay rises under the latest deal would range from a flat rate payment of £2,205 for staff in Bands 1 to 4 and up to £2,660 for staff in Bands 5 to 7, backdated to April.

This represents an increase of 11.3% for the lowest-paid workers and delivers an average uplift of 7.5%, according to a government spokesperson.

In other strike news:

  • Thousands of teachers joined rallies in Scottish cities yesterday as part of a national schools strike.

It has led to the closure of nearly every primary and secondary school in the country, and many council nurseries.

A revised pay offer put to unions on Tuesday was rejected as "insulting".

But Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said their demands for a 10% pay rise were "unaffordable".

A new pay offer from employer Cosla - which would see rises of up to 6.85% for the lowest paid - was fair, Ms Somerville said.

Members of Scotland's largest teachers' union, the Educational Institute of Scotland, and the Association of Head Teachers and Deputes Scotland picketed outside schools yesterday morning.

They also joined colleagues at rallies in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness and outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in the afternoon.

  • Staff at ScotRail have accepted an increased pay offer, averting a planned series of strikes by RMT members.

ScotRail said wages will rise by 7.5% for staff such as conductors and ticket examiners, with an 8.5% increase for lower-paid workers.

Announcing the result of the ballot, the RMT said yesterday that 67.7% of members who voted opted to accept the offer which the union had recommended.

However the deal is separate to the ongoing pay dispute and industrial action being taken by Network Rail staff who are members of the RMT.

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