Nurses across Scotland have voted in favour of taking strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) were balloted for the first time in 106 years after the most recent Scottish Government offer of a flat rate of £2,205 per person was rejected by the majority of nurses.
Earlier today Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, while on a visit to Wishaw Hospital, told the Record there was no new money for nurses to end the dispute.
It comes after the RCN, Scotland's largest nursing union, described the deal as a real-terms pay cut due to spiralling inflation in the economy. The trade union also accused the government of not listening to the concerns of staff working in the NHS.
Workers marched on the Scottish Parliament in October to stage a protest after the RCN said it was balloting its 300,000 members across the UK.
No date has been set for the strike action, but it is expected to begin before the end of the year. All NHS employers in Scotland will be included in the strike.
RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “I want to thank every member who took part in, or supported, this ballot. You can be very proud. The results are strong and clear.
"This is a defining moment in our history, and our fight will continue through strike action and beyond for as long as it takes to win justice for the nursing profession and our patients.
"Anger has become action – our members are saying enough is enough. The voice of nursing in the UK is strong and I will make sure it is heard. Our members will no longer tolerate a financial knife-edge at home and a raw deal at work.
"Ministers must look in the mirror and ask how long they will put nursing staff through this. While we plan our strike action, next week’s budget is the UK government’s opportunity to signal a new direction with serious investment. Across the country, politicians have the power to stop this now and at any point.
"This action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses. Standards are falling too low and we have strong public backing for our campaign to raise them. This winter, we are asking the public to show nursing staff you are with us.”
Reacting to the result of the ballot Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said the blame lies with the SNP government for not investing in staff.
She added: "The decision taken today by the RCN is a historic one – this is the first time ever that there has been a vote for industrial action - and it is the result of incompetence on a historic scale from the SNP.
"For 15 years, the SNP government has failed to tackle the staffing crisis and now patient safety is being compromised and lives are being lost as a result.
"The blame for this industrial action rests squarely with the SNP government who have failed our hardworking health workers, our patients and our NHS for a decade and a half.
"Humza Yousaf has been deaf to the concerns of nurses and has failed to act to prevent this crisis. His incompetence is plumbing new depths. Nicola Sturgeon must do the right thing and sack this sorry excuse of a health secretary now."
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
