SCOTLAND’S leading trade union has called on Nicola Sturgeon to extend the £500 payment for NHS workers to all key public sector workers.
Unite Scotland has written to the First Minister after being “inundated” by protests from those set to miss out on the payment.
The union is warning there is growing disappointment and frustration among NHS, local authority, private health and social care workers who are not being given the “extremely divisive” payment.
The union has also raised concerns with the First Minister over whether a number of groups covered by NHS pay guidelines will receive the full payment, including agency workers, catering and cleaning staff within social care settings.
In addition, the trade union has highlighted what it calls the “gross unfairness” of local authority workers who are excluded from the payment even though they are performing the same role as an NHS worker who is eligible for the £500 “thank-you”.
Unite Scotland has drawn further attention to a “lack of clarity” over the qualifying period for the payment and staff on zero-hour contracts and “bank” workers where an undetermined criterion will be applied on a pro-rata basis.
Third sector providers of NHS services, particularly those in mental health, are also set to be ignored, the union claims. Unite says these workers have continued to provide frontline care and also stepped-up to provide additional NHS services that are not a part of the funded remit during the pandemic.
“Unite Scotland has been inundated from our members in local government, the third sector and also those working within NHS services who are set to miss out on the £500 payment,” said Unite Scottish secretary, Pat Rafferty.
“There is mounting frustration at the gross unfairness of this ill-thought-out policy, which was announced on the hoof by the First Minister at the SNP Conference.
“Tens of thousands of key public sector workers equally deserving of the payment are being completely ignored and discriminated against by the Scottish Government. How can it be fair that third sector workers who have gone beyond the call of duty to support our NHS during the pandemic will not receive £500?”
Rafferty said there needed to be an immediate review of the payment as the policy had “more holes than a kitchen sieve”.
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