The report found nurses to be the poorest paid professionals in Scotland

The Unison campaign coincides with the publication of a report which identifies nurses as "Scotland's poorest paid professionals".

Jim Devine, Unison's Scottish Organiser for Health, said the campaign was "unique".

He said: "We do not want our members to take industrial action nor are we going into formal dispute with their employers, namely trusts, health boards and GPs.

"This campaign will be targeted specifically at MSPs demanding that they implement their manifesto commitments in relation to nurses' pay.

"When members of the Scottish Parliament return in September we will be preparing a model resolution which we hope will be passed by the parliament."

Other concerns

But Scotland's Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm defended the Scottish Executive and said manifesto promises were being implemented.

He said: "The reality is we are implementing Agenda for Change (the NHS pay deal).

"That's what we said in the manifesto, and that's what we said in the partnership agreement.

"And in effect that will mean an almost 10% increase for a nurse in his or her first year when Agenda for Change kicks in."

He said the executive was making "a major commitment" to nurses' pay, but nurses also had other concerns - about nurse numbers, professional development, workload and flexible hours.

The minister said: "Nurses want more pay, but they also want other things.

"And if you put all the money into pay you can't do the other things that nurses also want."