Health workers could see pension hikes

Many NHS employees in Scotland are set to see significant pension payment increases after health workers’ unions agreed a deal with the government.

Designed to protect the final salary schemes of NHS staff, the agreement will mean many consultants and other high earners taking home 100,000 pounds per year or more will see their contributions rise from six to 8.5 per cent.

However, lower paid NHS workers will see their pension deductions remain at five per cent and some administrative staff could experience a decrease in contributions of up to one per cent, reports the Herald.

“We have managed to keep our final-salary scheme and also got our existing members the ability to retire at 60, which most people would regard as an advantage,” said the chairman of the British Medical Association Scotland, Dr Peter Terry.

About one in ten GPs in Scotland are likely to see pension deductions from their salaries increase by an estimated 2,500 pounds per year.

Earlier this month, health secretary Patricia Hewitt expressed concern that new pay agreements in the UK meant that GPs were taking a larger share of revenue from their practices as profits, reported the Guardian.