The Scottish Government confirmed it will offer civil servants the pay deal next month, which includes an extra £400 for those on £22,000 or under and those on higher pay get an additional 1% one-off pay rise.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “The Scottish Government management believes the offer represents the best outcome.”
This follows an announcement by the first minister that she intended to lift the public sector pay cap, which limits yearly pay increases to 1%, by April next year.
In a letter to its members, the Prospect union stated the Scottish Government had made “real tangible steps” in addressing its concerns by announcing the end of pay restraint, bringing forward the pay award date to enable early access to an uncapped negotiated settlement.
The union also welcomed the improvements to long frozen allowances, to improved annual leave for some members and the continuation of the non-compulsory redundancy guarantee.
Richard Hardy, Prospect’s national secretary in Scotland, said: “It would be churlish of us not to note our appreciation of these steps.
But he added: “Despite the positive steps the offer remains one which reduces many members’ real wages and continues the operation of public sector pay restraint to which Prospect is fundamentally opposed and so to recommend acceptance was not considered appropriate.”
The union said it also would not ballot members about rejecting the offer and calling a strike to get better terms because it was deemed “unlikely” to achieve success without prolonged action.
Hardy said: “In effect, the branch executive committee took the decision to keep our powder dry in respect of a political and industrial campaign on Scottish Government pay until the first quarter of 2018.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Constructive discussions took place between Scottish Government management and the recognised trade union representatives.
“Scottish Government management believes the offer represents the best outcome for staff and the organisation [Prospect], using all available flexibilities within the scope of the 2017-18 public sector pay policy.”
