Nurses protests across Scotland to demand better pay

Nurses across Scotland are staging protests on Tuesday to demand better pay.

Following the demonstrations by Unison members, the health secretary Jeanne Freeman is set to hold talks with trade union representatives.

Unison has organised the “pay up now” campaign in a bid to bring talks over the three-year NHS pay deal back to the table.

The union argues workers have incurred extra costs during the pandemic and deserve a pay rise.

Protests are taking place from 11am at key hospitals across cities including Glasgow and Inverness.

Workers from more remote locations are also taking part online.

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.”