NHS staff in Scotland will be treated "at least as fairly" as colleagues in England in relation to pay rises, Shona Robison has said.
The health secretary gave the assurance amid reports that more than a million NHS staff in England are to be offered a pay rise of 6.5 per cent over three years in return for giving up a day's annual leave.
A document leaked to the Guardian revealed that the UK Government is prepared to increase salaries for the 1.3 million workers on the Agenda for Change contract, which includes all staff barring doctors, dentists and some senior managers.
As health is devolved it is up to the Scottish Government to set its own pay terms for NHS staff in Scotland.
Additional health spending to cover the pay hike for staff in NHS England is expected to be unveiled in the 'Spring Statement' on March 13. Under the Barnett formula, a corresponding sum would have to be passed to the devolved governments to reflect this increase in public expenditure in England. It would be up to the Scottish Government how to spend the extra cash, but it is anticipated that it will be used to fund equal pay rises for NHS Scotland staff.
It comes after a long-running cap on public sector pay rises was scrapped across the UK, with the Scottish Government the first to confirm it would axe the one per cent limit in 2018/19.
In December, the Scottish Government guaranteed a minimum increase of three per cent for public sector workers who earn £30,000 or less.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “NHS staff are the health service's most valuable asset and we value their contribution enormously. Scotland was the first country to lift the pay cap and we’ve been clear that NHS staff in Scotland will be treated at least as fairly as staff in other UK nations.
“We look forward to working with staff-side representatives to ensure a package that recognises our committed NHS staff, and continues to make NHS Scotland an attractive place to work.”
Asked about the reported pay offer, a Downing Street spokesman said: "Negotiations are still ongoing. No deal has been done yet. Reports [in the Guardian] today are speculation."
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