Fury as MSPs poised for pay rise with Nicola Sturgeon entitled to £2,600 boost
MSPs are poised for a £1,112-a-year pay rise fuelling demands to end a salary cap on thousands of public sector workers.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be entitled to a pay rise
Backbenchers will earn £61,777 from April, with the wage boost set at 1.8 per cent.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be entitled to £151,269 - up by £2,674 on last year - while members of her Cabinet would get £108,203.
But the Scottish Government confirmed Ms Sturgeon and her ministers will stick to a voluntary 2009 pay freeze, meaning her overall salary remains at £135,605.
Ministers' extra cash is put in a fund propping up public spending.
The automatic hike comes after MSPs last year voted to end the previous system, which linked their salaries to those of MPs.
Ms Sturgeon will be entitled to £151,269 - up by £2,674 on last year
We will be looking forward to the Budget with interest
Instead, they are now based on an annual survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics.
The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body said the pay boost is expected to cost a total of £200,000.
Unions are pressing ministers for an end to a 1 per cent public sector cap for most workers.
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The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body said the pay boost is expected to cost a total of £200,000
The Public and Commercial Services union which represents civil servants, issued a warning to Finance Secretary Derek Mackay ahead of next week's draft Budget.
A spokeswoman said: "What is good enough for MSPs should be good enough for our members, who have been suffering pay restraints and freezes for the last 10 years.
"We will be looking forward to the Budget with interest."
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson is to hand the extra money to charity.