Health Secretary to meet NHS staff campaigning for pay rise

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman will meet trade union representatives who are campaigning for NHS pay talks to be reopened.

The meeting with Unison members will take place after a series of demonstrations on Tuesday in support of the union's "pay up now'' campaign.

Unison said workers have incurred extra costs as a result of the pandemic and need a pay rise.

Its campaign is calling for the three-year NHS pay deal to be renegotiated.

The union plans to hold a series of socially distanced demonstrations around Scotland on Tuesday.

Tam Waterson, chairman of Unison's health committee, said: "We're glad the Cabinet Secretary for Health has agreed to meet with our members, to listen to their concerns and hear why the Scottish Government must reopen the three-year pay deal.

"Our dedicated NHS staff have suffered real-term pay cuts over the last decade with significant extra costs over this pandemic.''

He added: "This includes extra childcare costs because they are working extra shifts, extra transport costs because of restricted public transport, extra costs because they have being isolating from family or even extra laundry costs and buying personal PPE.

"These are just ordinary people thrust into extraordinary events and they deserve our support.

"It's time for the Scottish Government to do the right thing, to reopen pay talks and to pay up now.''

Hear all the latest news from the North East of Scotland on Northsound 1. Listen on FM, via our Rayo app, DAB, or smart speaker.