Tayside NHS workers’ strike could soon end

An agreement could soon be struck to finally bring an end to more than two months of strike action by NHS Tayside pharmacy support workers.

Unite the union say some workers – who have been taking part in continuous industrial action since August 19 – have been left on lower salaries than they should be after a “flawed” grading evaluation.

A breakthrough now means a panel meeting will be held by members of the Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee (STAC) this Thursday.

A Consistency Panel will then meet on October 29 and deliver an outcome soon after.

Susan Robertson, Unite regional industrial officer, said: “After two months of continuous strike action there is now some light at the end of this long tunnel for... workers.

“The inaction by the Scottish Government, and in particular the Cabinet secretary for health and sport (Jeane Freeman), has been disgraceful.

“We have repeatedly sought to bring a positive resolution to the dispute only for the workers to have been ignored and treated with disregard.

“The workers have taken a brave and courageous stand to secure justice at their workplace.”

The Scottish Government has previously denied accusations from Unite that its actions have adversely affected negotiations.

It says NHS Tayside sought the Cabinet secretary’s view and she subsequently asked her officials to provide “whatever support and assistance they can”.

An NHS Tayside spokesperson said: “NHS Tayside has always sought to avoid industrial action and we were very pleased that Unite agreed to join us in engaging with the STAC to secure a resolution to this dispute.

“The board remains committed to resolving this issue in good faith via a transparent and independent process which will ensure our staff can return to normal working.”