The priority of GMB Scotland is the defence of our members’ interests. Together we campaigned for an above inflation pay award for NHS and SAS staff, plus a lump sum payment, to help tackle nearly a decade of cuts to your pay and conditions.
The need for a pay deal that tackled austerity and put more pounds in your pocket was clear and compelling. And that’s why we campaigned for a rejection of the Scottish Government’s three year, below inflation, interlinked offer.
Your response in our consultative ballot was overwhelming – a 98 per cent rejection across our NHS membership is a real demonstration of our trade union’s values and ambitions for NHS and SAS staff.
Today (Friday 17 August) your GMB representatives met with our trade union colleagues on the NHS Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee (STAC).
GMB is the only union that rejected the offer and every other union have accepted the deal.
It is the prerogative of other trade unions to make recommendations which they believe is in the interests of their members. But for GMB Scotland we were clear from the outset: The offer is unfair, unequal and commits members to reforms that are unknown.
The scale of support for the three year interlinked offer among the memberships of our sister trade unions means it will be implemented across the NHS and SAS. GMB Scotland is bitterly disappointed by this because it is not a credible prescription for tackling the cuts.
We will now convene a meeting of our NHS & SAS workplace representatives to discuss our next steps. Details of this will be communicated to you over the course of next week.
In the meantime, our immediate campaigning focus will turn to tackling the imposition of interlinked reforms which are part of this offer. If our members are forced to swallow a below inflation pay deal for three years, there is no way we will entertain additional cuts.
We have work to do and it begins now – and if any of your colleagues want to be part of Scotland’s campaigning trade union in the NHS and SAS then tell them to join today at www.gmb.org.uk/join
In the meantime, if you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me at KL.Leonard@gmb.org.uk or call 0141 332 8641 during business hours Monday to Friday.
Karen Leonard
GMB Scotland Organiser
Posted: 8th September 2018