NHS staff in Dumfries and Galloway are a step closer to strike action.
Unison has opened a ballot for 35,000 health staff across the country urging them to reject the Scottish Government’s five per cent pay offer.
And they are recommending members take industrial action in the coming months unless more money is put on the table.
Union representatives insist the offer “doesn’t cut it” amid a cost of living crisis and would be a real terms pay cut.
The NHS consultative digital ballot opened on Monday and closes on August 8.
Wilma Brown, chairwoman of the Unison Scotland health committee, said: “NHS staff have been taken for granted, staff have endured over 10 years of real terms pay cuts only to be told by the Scottish Government that, yet again, they will have to accept a below inflation pay rise.
“NHS staff have family bills to pay. Food, energy and petrol prices are rocketing. NHS staff are struggling to afford the price of fuel to get them to work. They need more than praise and platitudes from government, they need a decent pay rise to support their families. A five per cent pay increase across the board just doesn’t cut it and the Scottish Government need to understand how angry we are.”
She added: “We are urging Unison members to vote to reject this pay offer and indicate that they will take the very difficult decision to take industrial action unless, of course, the health minister improves the offer on the table.”
The ballot comes in the midst of a staffing crisis in the NHS with turnover at one of its highest points ever and a recruitment challenge with more than 6,000 nurse vacancies across the country.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that Unison is recommending members reject this offer which, if accepted, will be the biggest single year pay rise NHS Agenda for Staff have seen since devolution and will ensure that our staff continue to remain the best paid in the UK.
“Under this pay offer experienced porters will receive more than £1,000 extra while a healthcare support worker will see more than £1,200 extra.
“The record five per cent pay offer builds on NHS Scotland staff being the best paid in the four nations. The UK Government would need to deliver pay uplifts of between six per cent to 14 per cent to front line NHS England Agenda for Change staff to catch up with pay levels in Scotland.”
