John Swinney says SNP will consider call to cut salaries of highest-paid NHS workers

Published on Thursday 17 December 2009 21:46

THE Scottish Government will consider an NHS official's call for a pay cut for senior health workers, finance secretary John Swinney said yesterday.

Earlier this week Dr Linda De Caestecker, the director of public health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, suggested medical professionals should consider a wage cut to help create a fairer society.

Mr Swinney said the SNP government will consider suggestions on the issue.

He told MSPs that Holyrood ministers and senior civil servants had accepted a pay freeze.

The Scottish Cabinet had "already agreed to extend that approach to the highest-paid people across the public sector who come under the Scottish Government's remit".

SNP MSP Ian McKee then asked the finance secretary what he thought about Dr De Caestecker's call for a salary cut.

Mr Swinney told him he recognised there are "significant aspects of concern" about the level of some salaries within the public sector.

"The government will be assessing suggestions of this type as part of the formulation of our pay policy for 2010-11 and for future years."

The Liberal Democrats have called for the highest earners in the public sector to have their wages cut by 5 per cent.

The Lib Dems have held talks with Mr Swinney, who needs the support of other parties to get his Budget passed, on the issue.

Speaking on Sunday, Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott said: "We're asking the government to look at the overall public sector pay bill in Scotland and take out 5 per cent across that pay bill at the very top, in other words on people earning more than 100,000, so that we can protect people at the bottom and also help with the overall pressure the finances of the public sector are under."