Efforts to prevent strikes in Scotland’s NHS are ongoing but will be “very, very hard”, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The First Minister reiterated that there is no more money available this year for an enhanced pay offer.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said he had been in talks with union leaders, saying that he had spoken to them more than his own mother over the festive period.
While some health unions have accepted pay deals for 2022/23, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland members voted to reject the latest pay offer.
Strike dates are expected to be announced early this month if the dispute is not resolved.
