SCOTLAND’S NHS workers are set to get a pay increase following a meeting between Health Secretary Jeane Freeman and trade-union officials.

Unison announced yesterday that ministers had agreed to reopen talks on the current three-year pay deal to “agree a fair pay rise” for workers this year.

The development comes after a consultation with health workers, including nurses and other staff, who were snubbed earlier this year in Westminster plans for public-sector pay increases. 

The union said that it hoped to progress talks quickly to ensure that the key workers get the pay rise they deserve. 

Unison’s Tom Waterson said: “Our NHS staff are just ordinary people who have been thrust into an extraordinary situation. 

“Proper recognition and pay to match it is the least the government can do to show they value the hard work and dedication of our NHS workers, not just during the pandemic but each and every day.”