Junior doctor members of HCSA Scotland - the hospital doctors' union have voted to accept the latest pay offer from the Scottish Government.

Members voted 67.5% to accept on 74% turnout. This essentially ends HCSA Scotland's dispute with the Scottish Government over junior doctors' pay.

The offer comprises:

• A single-year pay uplift in 2023/24 of 12.4%
• A guaranteed minimum pay uplift of inflation for the financial year in 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27
• A process which will produce a new pay review mechanism, with the aim of restoring pay and preventing further pay erosion.

Responding to the outcome, HCSA President Dr Naru Narayanan said:

“HCSA members have cautiously backed the immediate pay award put forward by the Scottish Government, but they remain concerned that future commitments are still shrouded in uncertainty.

“We do not yet know the shape of any future pay review process nor the detail on promised inflationary rises in future years.

"HCSA and the Scottish TUC have therefore written jointly today to the Health Secretary to ensure that the views of our members are fully represented and build constructively on the promises made to date.”

In a letter to Michael Matheson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care, Dr Narayanan, HCSA General Secretary Dr Paul Donaldson and Scottish Trades Union Congress General Secretary Roz Foyer said:

"We are pleased that the Scottish Government has accepted the principle of pay restoration.

"It is good to see an immediate plan to curtail erosion, and a longer-term strategy for reform. Overall, we welcome the significant progress this award represents in achieving pay restoration.

"However, our members are not without reservations. Detail is lacking on the process, which in turn affects confidence. Our members have therefore asked us to keep the situation under review, and particularly to monitor that the awards promised for the next three years are indeed greater than inflation.

"Our members will expect a timeline for pay restoration to arise out of this process."

Notes

• HCSA Scotland junior doctor members voted 67.5% to accept the Scottish Government offer on 74.07% turnout.
• Members had previously voted 95% for strike action on 70.18% turnout.
• HCSA is the trade union and professional association for hospital doctors of all grades, across the UK.

For media enquiries, contact the HCSA press team on 07711405128 or press@hcsa.com.