Date: 17 June 2006

2.5% pay deal won for all NHS staff in Scotland

UNISON - Scotland's healthcare union - today welcomed the agreement that the one year pay deal for NHS non-medical staff would apply to all Scottish staff whether or not they had been assimilated to the new ‘Agenda for Change'(A4C) salary scales.

The original proposal was to apply the 2.5% raise for 2006/7 to the new salaries only - on the basis that staff would either be on the new rates or would get the rise when they assimilated. UNISON recognised there was a specific problem in Scotland where A4C had not yet been brought in as widely as in England, and negotiated a ‘payment on account' to staff who were not yet assimilated onto the new scales.

Glyn Hawker, UNISON's Scottish Organiser for Health, said

"UNISON raised this as a specific Scottish solution to a Scottish problem. We are delighted to be able to announce our success in ensuring that all NHS non-medical staff in Scotland will now receive the raise. Hopefully we can ensure this is paid as soon as possible."

The ‘payment on account' will be paid as a separate amount from 1 April 2006 until people are assimilated onto the new pay scales. It will not apply for calculation of overtime or other additional payments. The new A4C scales will have already had the raise applied to them.

Lilian Macer, UNISON's Scottish Lead Negotiator in Health said

"It is important that people are treated fairly. To have people doing the same jobs as others in different parts of Scotland, but not being paid the same pay would have been divisive. That is why UNISON took on this aim. I am pleased that we have agreed this solution."

ENDS

Note for editors: Agenda for Change (A4C) is the huge job evaluation and restructuring exercise agreed between unions and management in the NHS to eliminate discriminatory pay and establish fair pay scales.

For Further Information Please Contact:

Glyn Hawker (Scottish Organiser - Health) 07876 441 237(m)

Lilian Macer (Lead Negotiator) 07986 255 956 (m)

Chris Bartter (Communications Officer) 0771 558 3729(m)

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