Health Sec and Deputy FM meet with Unions over NHS pay deal
Humza Yousaf and John Swinney are meeting trade union representatives this afternoon to attempt to strike a pay deal for NHS staff
The Health Secretary and Deputy First Minister are meeting trade union representatives for NHS workers this afternoon (October 12) to try and hash out a new pay deal.
A 5% pay increase has already been rejected by Unions, with Health Sec Humza Yousaf promising to come back with a "significantly improved offer."
It's hoped striking a deal will avoid any potential threat of industrial action, which Mr Yousaf tells us would be "catastrophic".
The Royal college of nursing launched a ballot amongst it's members on strike action today, meanwhile other health unions have already done so.
On a visit to the Scottish ambulance station in Edinburgh Mr Yousaf said of the negotiations:
"They were pretty clear in the rejection of our 5% offer - and that was a historic 5% offer - that they wanted a significantly improved offer.
"So I will do that we'll come forward with a significantly improved offer.
"My ethos is pretty simple. We'll keep negotiating, keep discussing, keep staying around that table, until I hope we get a deal.
"The last thing I want, the last thing I suspect the public want and actually the last thing I think the trade unions want - because they've told me as much - is to go on industrial action. So we'll all work collectively, to do our best to avoid that."
Strike action would be a massive challenge for Scotland, with the Health Secretary already predicting a tough winter for the health service.
Asked just how damaging that would be, Mr Yousaf told us:
"That'd be catastrophic to be frank.
"We're already facing significant pressures this winter.
"Industrial action would be extraordinarily difficult to manage but I'm not anticipating that we'll get there.
"I'm hopeful that we'll get a deal before then our work lately and tirelessly with the trade unions to hopefully get that negotiated deal."