A new proposal which could resolve the industrial dispute between community health service Pact and 200 of its employees will be considered by the relevant union members in the next week or so.
Pact, the Service and Food Workers' Union and the Public Service Association put out a joint statement yesterday afternoon saying a draft settlement had been reached and would be put to members as soon as possible.
While both Pact and the unions are tight-lipped about what is being offered, there seems to be some confidence about its likely acceptability to the workers.
The proposal follows court-ordered mediation.
Pact chief executive Louise Carr said the settlement was intended to enable the organisation to resume its focus on client support and go as far as it could to meet the workforce's need for a pay rise "against a background of financial prudence".
SFWU spokesman Alastair Duncan welcomed the new offer.
