Scottish nurses furious over pandemic thank-you payments
Posted 07 February 2022 - 10:00
Thousands of £500 payments intended for those risking their lives to fight pandemic went as bonuses to highly paid staff far from the front line, GMB union says
A union has criticised the Scottish government for giving £500 thank-you payments to thousands of highly paid council staff when they should only have gone to nurses and other front-line healthcare workers.
A freedom of information request by the GMB union found that 5,890 local authority staff on pay grades above £40,000 a year were among those receiving the thank-you payments from the Scottish government.
GMB organiser Keir Greenaway described the payment to top earners as ‘a bonus to well-paid staff who weren’t on the front line of the pandemic response’.
He said: ‘Our members are furious. These payments were meant to be an acknowledgement for those putting their lives on the line during the pandemic. Instead, millions of pounds of public money has been used to give a bonus to well-paid staff who weren’t on the front line of the pandemic response.’
Scores of payments went to senior managers, heads of service and directors with chief officer pay grades
First minister Nicola Sturgeon announced in November 2020 that all health and social care staff would receive a £500 thank-you payment in recognition of their work during the pandemic.
The payments were offered to all directly employed NHS Scotland staff, including those who helped with the coronavirus response for at least one month between 17 March and 30 November 2020, as well as social care staff employed by local authorities.
But a breakdown of payments obtained by the GMB found that many of the payments went to council staff on salaries of £40,000 or more, including 67 payments to the most senior managers, heads of service and directors with chief officer pay grades.
A Scottish government spokesperson said almost 400,000 NHS and adult social care staff were eligible for the £500 payment. The spokesperson said: ‘We are hugely grateful for the efforts of the many key workers in different sectors across Scotland as they rose to the challenge of responding to the pandemic.
‘The payment was made to NHS and social care staff in recognition of their efforts on the front line during the pandemic.’
Dispute over nurses’ pay in Scotland
In a ballot last year a majority of RCN Scotland members said they were prepared to strike over a 4% pay offer.
RCN Scotland held a vote of its NHS members to gauge their appetite for industrial action. Some 60% expressed willingness to go on strike and 90% said they would be prepared to take industrial action short of a strike.
The ballot result could strengthen the college’s position in its formal dispute over pay with the Scottish government.
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