FOI – Pay Awards

Ref No.: 12 26
Request Type: FOI
Date Received: 23/07/26
Date Responded: 24/07/26
Category:  Pay Awards

Request

1. The percentage pay increase that was implemented for employees under the latest pay award.
2. If different percentage increases were applied to different grades, pay bands, or employee groups, please provide the percentage increase applicable to each.
3. The date on which the pay award was formally implemented.
4. If the pay award was backdated, please provide:
   1. The effective date from which the pay increase was backdated.
   2. The date on which the backdated payment was made to employees

Response

Many thanks for your request for information dated 23 July 2026 which asked for: 

1. The percentage pay increase that was implemented for employees under the latest pay award.
2. If different percentage increases were applied to different grades, pay bands, or employee groups, please provide the percentage increase applicable to each.
3. The date on which the pay award was formally implemented.
4. If the pay award was backdated, please provide:
   1. The effective date from which the pay increase was backdated.
   2. The date on which the backdated payment was made to employees

We have handled your request in terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).  FOISA provides for a right of access to recorded information held by Scottish public authorities. We disclose the below information to you in response to your request.

WICS is subject to the Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy. Its latest pay award was a three-year agreement covering 2024–25 to 2026–27. The agreement was approved on 17 October 2024, following confirmation from the Scottish Government that it complied with the applicable public sector pay policy.

The same percentage increase was applied to every point within each pay band. No different increases were applied to particular grades, pay bands or employee groups.

The most recently implemented element of the agreement was therefore the 3% increase for 2026–27, which took effect from 1 April 2026. This increase was not backdated, as it was applied from the normal pay settlement date.

The Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy applicable when the agreement was reached is publicly available here.

If you are unhappy with this response to your request, you may ask us to carry out a review by contacting us.  Your request for review should explain why you are dissatisfied and should be made within 40 working days of receipt of this response.  The review will be undertaken by staff not involved in the original process and we will reply within 20 working days of receipt.  

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) and thereafter to the Court of Session on a point of law only.  The SIC can be contacted using the details below:

Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road
St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Web: www.foi.scot