NHS Strikes: Royal College of Nursing rejects Scottish Government pay offer

Members of a nursing union have rejected the Scottish Government's "best and final" pay offer.

Staff in the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union will strike next year, with dates still to be set. 

Members vote down an average pay increase of 7.5 per cent. 

That comes after the Royal College of Midwives and GMB also rejected the package, while Unite and Unison accepted the terms.

The Scottish Government has described the deal, which would have provided an uplift of 11.3 per cent for the lowest paid health workers, as "unprecedented".

Announcing the news, RCN Scotland board chair Julie Lamberth said members had "forcefully rejected what the Scottish Government said is its 'best and final' offer".

She stated: "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."

Lamberth went on: "The ball is in the Scottish Government's court if strike action is going to be avoided."

Commenting, Labour's Jackie Baillie accused the Scottish Government of having "squandered the opportunity to avoid these strikes". Calling for Health Secretary Humza Yousaf to resign, she said: "Under the SNP, Scotland's heroic nursing staff have been pushed to breaking point."