Humza Yousaf will meet with trade unions today for crisis talks after nurses in Scotland voted for strike action over pay and conditions.
The under-pressure health secretary will meet representatives from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) after its members overwhelmingly rejected a 7.5 per cent wage rise.
But Nicola Sturgeon warned the Scottish Government had now "maximised" what it could offer in terms of pay deals in this financial year. In the RCN ballot 82 per cent voted of members voted against the offer of 7.5 per cent
The union, which has more than 30,000 NHS members in Scotland, had asked for an increase of at least five per cent above inflation - which is currently 10.7 per cent. Strike dates are set to be announced in the New Year.
Anas Sarwar said the country's "health service heroes don't just deserve our thanks - they deserve better pay and conditions".
Speaking at First Minister's Questions, the Scottish Labour leader asked Nicola Sturgeon if her government would resume negotiations with unions after they voted to reject the latest pay offer.
The SNP leader responded: "The health secretary will be meeting with trade unions tomorrow. He was originally mean to do that this afternoon but parliamentary business intervened."
Sturgeon added: "Just as has been the case up until now, we will do everything we can to avoid industrial action in our National Health Service. We have - unlike England, Wales, and Northern Ireland - avoided industrial action in our health service.
"We want to, obviously, avoid the disruption that will bring to patients across the country, but we also want to do that because we value those who work in our NHS.
"I want to make sure they get the best possible pay rise that we can give them. We have maximised what we can do within this financial year."
Julie Lamberth, RCN Scotland board chair, said yesterday that nurses had "forcefully rejected" the deal from the Scottish Government.
She added: "Make no mistake - we do not want to go on strike. Years of being undervalued and understaffed have left us feeling we have been left with no option because enough is enough. The ball is in Scottish government's court if strike action is going to be avoided."
SNP ministers tabled an improved pay offer averaging 7.5 per cent to health workers threatening industrial action last month.
Annual salary rises under the proposal would range from a flat rate payment of £2,205 for staff in bands one to four and up to £2,660 for staff in bands five to seven backdated to April.
This represents an increase of 11.3 per cent for the lowest paid workers and delivers an average uplift of 7.5 per cent. Unite and Unison chose to accept the deal but the GMB union became the first to reject it last week.
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