NURSES are to vote on whether to take industrial action in a pay dispute with the Scottish government.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is balloting members after rejecting a proposed increase of 4 per cent, warning that nurses have been “undervalued and under-resourced” for a decade.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has previously described the offer as “the biggest pay rise in 20 years and the best in the entire UK.”

The indicative ballot will run until November 8 and seeks to establish what industrial action RCN members are willing to take.

The union, which is calling for 12.5 per cent, will also ask staff in England over the coming weeks whether they favour action short of a strike, such as only working their contracted hours, or a full withdrawal of labour.

RCN Scotland board chairwoman Julie Lamberth called for measures to dissuade staff from quitting their jobs and a fair pay award that recognises workers’ expertise. 

She said: “After 18 months of bearing the brunt of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and a decade of being undervalued and under-resourced, more and more nursing staff are saying enough is enough.

“They need to take very seriously our concerns about what’s happening now and what will happen in the future without effective action.

“It’s a last resort and extremely difficult decision for nursing staff even to consider industrial action. It’s now up to RCN members to decide what the next steps will be.”

A Scottish government spokesman said that the tremendous service of nurses during the pandemic was recognised, with proposed pay increases backdated to December and Mr Yousaf continuing to engage in constructive discussions.