Health workers at NHS Tayside could go on strike next month after 55,000 nurses and other medical staff in Scotland were urged to vote in favour of industrial action over pay.
The union Unison officially begun balloting its members on Monday over the Scottish Government’s five per cent pay rise for NHS staff for 2022-23.
Unison saw a comprehensive 91 per cent of its NHS members vote to reject the offer, similar to the 89 per cent from Unite’s union members, who also rejected the deal.
Unison will also host an online rally to coincide with the papers going out, with their ballot closing on October 31.
Unite’s ballot, which will include the ambulance service, opened yesterday (October 6) and ends on November 4.
For the ballot to be legal 50 per cent of union members have to vote.
Unison says strike action from NHS Tayside staff could take place at the end of November during the busy winter period, but will work to ensure they will affect non-urgent but not emergency care or services.
The Royal College of Nursing is also balloting all of its UK members for strike action for the first time in its 106-year history.
The union is recommending its 300,000 members walk out over pay, with the result of the ballot due next month.
It comes as nursing and midwifery vacancies across the NHS in Scotland jump 24 per cent in a one-year period.
Wilma Brown, chair of Unison Scotland’s health committee and a nurse by background, said: “These are unprecedented times and NHS staff are struggling to make ends meet.
“The Scottish Government’s pay offer is nowhere near enough and leaves everyone in the NHS worse off.
“It’s a real-terms pay cut across every single NHS salary band.”
She added: “We’re in the biggest cost-of-living and NHS staffing crisis in history and yet the Scottish Government want hard-working health workers to accept a real-terms pay cut.”
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said the health board has detailed contingency plans to deal with potential workforce issues.
Health secretary Humza Yousaf said: “While we respect the mandate given to trade unions, I am disappointed they voted to reject the record five per cent pay deal for NHS Scotland Agenda for Change staff, and are now holding ballots for industrial action.
“We are re-engaging with trade unions in the hope of reaching a satisfactory outcome.”
