Hundreds of Scots public sector workers suspended on full pay
The figures were revealed following a freedom of information request by the Conservatives
Hundreds of public sector workers in Scotland were suspended on full pay last year, new figures reveal.
At least 424 public sector workers were suspended with full pay in 2025/26.
These included 239 council staff, as well 100 employees from Scottish Government agencies and 85 NHS staff, mostly for misconduct.
Some of those suspended were on six-figure salaries, including one NHS Borders staff member who earns £115,000.
And the true number is likely to be higher as the data only captured suspensions up until November 2025.
The figures were revealed following a freedom of information (FOI) request by the Scottish Conservatives.
The party’s public service reform spokesman Murdo Fraser called on SNP ministers to “urgently get a grip on this process”.
He said: “This situation is a shocking waste of taxpayers’ money.
“While public sector workers deserve a fair hearing, these investigations cannot be allowed to drag on indefinitely.
“Every day these suspensions continue, the bill for hard-pressed Scots rises, while the SNP government’s ability to deliver public services is weakened.
“SNP ministers must urgently get a grip on this process. They need to ensure these outstanding cases are concluded as quickly as possible and stop forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for endless delays.”
Last year, the Tories revealed NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde workers had spent a combined 15,315 days suspended with full pay since 2022, costing the health board at least £915,224.
The longest suspension with pay was 557 days, while the average was 160 days.
In total, 96 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde staff members were suspended with pay between 2022 and 2025, with up to 25 sacked.
Meanwhile, a FOI release by the Scottish government in September last year revealed five civil servants had been suspended with pay since June 2022, with the average length of suspension recorded as “approximately 6.7 months”.
This included one civil servant earning between £86,237 and £87,404.
The longest period of time for which a civil servant was suspended with pay was two years and three months, the government said.
Responding to the latest Tory figures, a Scottish government spokesperson said: “Disciplinary policy and its application is a matter for individual public bodies. The Scottish government expects all disciplinary cases to be dealt with expeditiously but fairly.”
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