As part of a £568 million pay deal for NHS staff, nurses, paramedics, midwives, porters, and more, are to receive a 6.5% increase in pay this year.

At least 160,000 people are set to see their pay rise from April. And, this deal includes commitments to deliver the most progressive package of terms and conditions reform in decades, whilst supporting recruitment, sustainability and retention.

This commitment from the Scottish Government marks the largest overall investment in Agenda for Change pay in a single year, starting in April 2023. This is the result of agreements reached between the SNP-led Scottish Government and trade unions. Thanks to the tireless work of the SNP, Scotland remains the only nation in the UK to have avoided strike action from our NHS staff.

Commenting on these considerable achievements, the MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, has said:

“Thanks to the tireless, compassionate work of the SNP, not only have we avoided strike action from our health sector workers here in Scotland, but we have delivered a record deal which marks a government of compassion and progressiveness.

“Unlike the Tory party down south, or the Labour party in Wales, we have managed to get around the negotiating table, listen to the demands made by trade unions, and work together to secure an outcome which benefits one of our most treasured workforces.

“I am pleased that this agreement has been reached without any disruption to health services, a sentiment I know is shared by my constituents. I want my constituents to know that the SNP value the NHS above all and we are not in the business of even considering privatising this service which is rightly free at the point of use.

“I, like many others, would consider privatisation of our NHS as nothing short of malevolent, which is why the Tory party never will enjoy power in Scotland.

“And, with the way Labour is going under the negligent leadership of Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar, constituents can rest knowing that the only party that can govern for Scotland – the SNP – will never stoop to the depths of our political opponents by accelerating a drive to privatise an institution of national pride, the NHS.”