The deal retains a minimum underpin for the lowest paid and an additional non-consolidated payment for those who do not receive progression payments.

The main elements of the offer include:

• a 3% cost of living rise plus a matrix progression or spot rate increase for Bands 8-4a
• a 2% cost of living rise plus a matrix progression increase for Bands 3-SMT
• £1,600 cost of living rise for those earning more than £80,000
• 1% non-consolidated payment for those at the maximum of their pay band
• £750 minimum increase for the lowest paid
• an additional privilege holiday in recognition of St Andrew’s Day
• no compulsory redundancy guarantee extended to March 2020.

Prospect negotiator Jane Rose welcomed the offer but said that more needed to be done to address the lower paid.

“We are hopeful of making progress on achieving Living Wage accreditation, but we believe that this needs to be set at £10 an hour to make a real difference.

“More also needs to be done to restore levels of earnings right across the pay bands following years of real terms pay cuts. Importantly we must also ensure that the increased employer pension contributions are fully funded at NGS for future budgets.”

The increase will be made in November salaries, backdated to 1 April.