SCOTLAND’S biggest NHS union has warned of crumbling trust as SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray makes “little progress” on commitments to cuts working hours.

Unison and the Scottish government had agreed to gradually reduce the working week in the service from 37.5 to 36 hours as part of an earlier pay deal, but concerns are growing at the union that Mr Gray “seems unwilling” to honour the agreement.

Writing to the Health Secretary on behalf of Unison’s 60,000 members in NHS Scotland, the union’s co-lead for health Matt McLaughlin warned: “Any failure on your part to implement the reduced working week in a manner that is acceptable to Unison will be seen as a significant breach of trust.

“Put simply, if our members feel that you have sold them short on the reduced working week, they are highly unlikely to believe any promises you and your government might make around pay reform and/or NHS reform in the coming months.

“There’s been very little progress, despite Unison calling on him to get on with it.

“Neil Gray needs to understand this is a matter of trust between him and NHS staff.

“The First Minister has called on unions to work together on NHS reform, but his cabinet secretary seems unwilling to honour an agreement.

“NHS staff will judge the government by what Neil Gray does.

“If he doesn’t act on this, they may struggle to trust him on anything else.”

Mr Gray said full-time hours will be reduced from 37.5 to 37 hours from April.

He added: “I remain fully committed to reducing the full-time working week for Agenda for Change staff in NHS Scotland to 36 hours without loss of pay as detailed in our Programme for Government.”