A TRADE union has said NHS staff deserve extra pay to recognise their struggles through the pandemic.
Unison will be submitting a claim to the Scottish Government to acknowledge the financial and emotional costs suffered by health workers so far during the Covid-19 crisis.
The claim is for 1% or £500, whatever is highest, for all staff, and is on top of any annual pay increase for NHS staff.
Willie Duffy, Unison Scotland’s head of health, said: “This is a very difficult time for so many across Scotland, not least our dedicated NHS staff who quite rightly have received the highest praise.
“However, the reality is that our NHS staff have incurred extra costs with laundry, travel, subsistence and other costs over this period, and health service workers received the lowest public-sector pay award over the last few years.
“It is important that we recognise this, and we are calling on the Scottish Government to support them financially to help them get through this very difficult time.”
The union has pointed to several extra costs incurred by staff during the pandemic. These include sometimes having to buy extra PPE, more cleaning of their clothes and materials, buying hand sanitiser, isolating from their family, doing extra hours and additional travel costs while public transport is restricted.
It also wants the Scottish Government to recognise the “emotional toll” working during the outbreak is having.
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