25,000 NHS Lothian staff left without wages on Christmas payday
The health board's apologised for the 24-hour delay
NHS Lothian bosses have apologised after an 'error' meant thousands of workers didn't receive their Christmas wages on time.
Staff were emailed on Tuesday the 22nd of December to say they wouldn't get their December pay the following day as expected - with the issue causing it to be delayed by 24 hours.
They are now due to be paid early on Christmas eve.
Around 25,800 employees are thought to be affected, excluding those paid weekly or through the bank shift system.
The health board is offering support to anyone left short by the delay.
Susan Goldsmith, Director of Finance, NHS Lothian, said: “Every year, NHS Lothian brings forward the pay date for December, which should fall on the last Thursday of every month, by one week to help support staff at Christmas time.
"An error has caused a 24 hour-delay in the payment of the monthly December wage for a large number of our staff. As soon as we became aware of the issue, our team worked to rectify the problem but it proved impossible.
"A number of systems have been put in place to support staff facing financial hardship as a result. We are acutely aware of the pressures facing our staff this Christmas and the extra challenges this may bring and I would also like to publicly repeat my sincere apology to all of those affected.”