More than 154,000 NHS Scotland staff are to be offered a pay rise of at least 4 per cent in a deal from the Scottish Government.
Nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals, as well as domestic, healthcare support staff, porters and other frontline health workers will all receive a pay boost.
The payrise will also be backdated several months, meaning staff will enjoy a bonus.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the average pay of a front line NHS nurse would rise by over £1,200 a year.
This comes in stark contrast to NHS England employees, some of whom will be offered a one per cent pay rise, Westminster announced last month.
The Scottish Government says the deal, if accepted, will be the "most generous National Health Service pay uplift anywhere in the UK".
The move will benefit employees with contracts under the Agenda for Change system, which will give staff on the lowest pay point a 5.4 per cent increase.
Workers earning less than £25,000 in 2020/21 will be guaranteed a minimum increase of more than £1,000 in 2021/22, while staff on pay bands 1 to 7 are to receive at least a 4% pay rise compared with 2020/21.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: "Following positive discussions with NHS unions and employees, the Scottish Government has put forward an offer of the biggest single pay uplift since devolution for NHS Agenda for Change staff.
"Over 154,000 staff would benefit from this rise, which would see the average pay of a frontline NHS nurse rise by over £1,200 a year.
"This deal also includes support staff such as domestic staff, porters and healthcare support workers, the backbone of our services, who would see pay rises of over £1,000 - uplifts of between 4%-5.4%.
"The uplift will be backdated from December 1 2020, rather than the usual April 1 2021, meaning all those covered by the deal will receive an extra benefit.
"This has been an exceptionally challenging year for our health service and I am pleased that the Scottish Government is able to recognise the service and dedication of our healthcare staff."
Sara Gorton of the UNISON union said: "This shows where there's a political will there's most definitely a way.
"Valuing health staff and investing in the NHS is a political choice. One that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are choosing not to make.
"After a long and difficult year, a decent pay rise for NHS staff should be a simple decision to make and popular with the public.
"The Westminster Government should learn from the approach being adopted north of the border on NHS pay and be shamed into following the Scottish example."
It comes after NHS workers in Scotland also received a one-off £500 payment from the Scottish Government as a thank you for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Colin Poolman, Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee (STAC) chairman and Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland senior officer, described the timescale for negotiations as "tight as a result of the forthcoming election but we have now received an offer for a one-year pay deal".
The STAC staffside for Agenda for Change includes representatives' unions including the British Dietetic Association, College of Podiatry, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, GMB, Prison Officers Association, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Midwives, Society of Radiographers, Unison and Unite the Union.
Willie Duffy, STAC staffside secretary and Unison regional organiser, added: "Each of the individual trade unions will now enter into discussions with their members on the offer."
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