Physio staff vote to accept latest offer in Scotland 

CSP members working in the NHS in Scotland have voted to accept the latest offer from the Scottish government.

Some 72 per cent of members said yes to accepting the offer, which came about as a result of intense negotiations following the strike mandates secured by the CSP and other health unions.

Turnout was 45 per cent.

If implemented, it will mean the lowest paid staff receive an increase matching inflation and the starting pay for a band 5 will rise by nearly 9 per cent. 

Further detail on what it means for each band can be found in this Scottish Government note.

Overall, the latest offer represents an overall 7.5 per cent increase on the pay bill – a significant increase on the initial offer of five per cent.  

Claire Ronald, CSP senior negotiating officer in Scotland said: ‘We know there is far more to do on pay, not just for the lower paid but for the skilled and experienced staff that we risk losing if pay in the long-term is not addressed.  

‘However, while not everything we would have wanted, and not everything members deserve, this offer does represent a good step forward.  

‘There is no doubt that the mandate for industrial action achieved by CSP members and across other unions has brought the government back to the negotiating table.’

In addition to the pay increase, the offer also includes a permanent agreement to pay staff in bands 8-9 for overtime, previously only a temporary concession, and the establishment of a working group to consider learning time for professional groups of staff.

Next Steps

The CSP pay group of members has agreed the CSP position will be to accept the offer based on the consultation outcome.

This will be taken forward to a meeting of all health unions on 22 December where the outcome of all the individual union consultations will be discussed and then reported back to the Scottish government.  

We will report back on the final outcome as soon as it is known.