FORMAL negotiations on the pay of NHS staff in Scotland are getting under way, Unison announced today, after the Scottish government yielded to pressure to bring them forward.

Representatives of the health workforce wrote to ministers last week expressing anger and disappointment after it was announced that the pay talks would not take place until the summer.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman met the staff side representatives of the Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee (STAC) this week and agreed to start negotiations immediately.