Scotland pay offer accepted
By Rob Dabrowski on 17 August 2018 Pay and Agenda For Change Scotland RCM Scotland
Midwives and MSW members of the RCM in Scotland have today (17 August) accepted the negotiated proposals for those on the Agenda for Change (AFC) staff pay.
In June, the RCM in Scotland and the other Scottish health unions negotiated a three-year pay package, alongside reforms to AFC pay scales for NHS staff with the Scottish Government.
The RCM’s member-elected board then backed this pay deal and recommended that members in Scotland accepted it.
Today’s acceptance announcement follows a consultation with Scottish members of the RCM, which closed at midnight on Tuesday.
A large majority (95%) of respondents voted to accept the negotiated set of proposals for staff in the NHS in Scotland.
The deal means that the value of the top pay point of Bands 1 to 8C will increase by 9% cumulatively over three years from 2018-19 to 2020-21.
Additionally, existing pay bands will be restructured and the number of pay points in each will be reduced, meaning that staff currently below the top of their band will see quicker pay progression to the top.
Emma Currer, RCM Scotland Lead Negotiator, said: ‘The RCM is pleased that our members have accepted this pay offer. It means that midwives, maternity support workers and other hardworking NHS staff in Scotland can finally begin to recoup the losses they incurred after years of pay freezes, pay stagnation and uplifts well below inflation.
‘This is something the RCM and other unions have been fighting for. This is a good deal and one that we believe is the best that can be achieved in the current economic climate.
‘Reforms to AFC pay scales were also long overdue and going forward staff will now receive incremental rises more reflective of the pace of their development and level of practice required of them.
She added: ‘This is not the end point but the beginning of the RCM and other health unions continuing to negotiate for the fair pay our NHS staff deserve.’