Hundreds of healthcare support workers stage historic 48-hour strike, says UNISON
Hundreds of healthcare support staff at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Foundation Trust will walk out for 48 hours today (Wednesday) in an escalating dispute over pay, says UNISON.
It is the first time healthcare support staff in London have gone on strike independently of national NHS disputes, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea, alongside other senior UNISON officials, will be joining the workers on the picket line at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich and University Hospital Lewisham on Wednesday as the NHS support staff begin their two-day action.
The workers involved are employed on band 2 of the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale, which typically involves providing personal care such as feeding and bathing patients. However, these employees regularly perform clinical tasks, such as taking and monitoring blood, conducting electrocardiogram tests and providing wound dressings. According to NHS guidance, these tasks should be compensated at the higher band 3 pay level.
Moving these roles to band 3 could increase salaries by as much as £2,000 annually, yet the trust has refused to adjust rates for all eligible staff members and provide fair back pay for the work already done, says UNISON.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “These workers aren’t asking for special treatment, just fairness.
“The trust has been underpaying support staff for years. They’ve been forced to carry out clinical tasks beyond their pay band, without fair compensation. Enough is enough.
“Across the country, similar disputes have been fought and resolved, with fair agreements reached elsewhere. It’s time Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust followed suit.”
Healthcare assistant Tracey Snipp, who will be joining the strike, said: “My colleagues and I never wanted to strike, but we’ve been left with no choice. We provide the majority of patient care – around 70% – and all we’re asking is to be paid fairly for the work we do.
“So many of our colleagues have been forced to leave because they simply can’t make ends meet on our current wages. They can’t afford to feed their families or keep a roof over their heads.
“We’re there for patients from the moment they arrive until the moment they leave, but constant turnover means we’re frequently understaffed, which puts even more pressure on those of us who stay.”
Notes to editors:
– Staff will strike for 48 hours from 7am today (Wednesday) to 7am Friday (6 September)
– There will be picket lines outside the main entrances of University of Lewisham Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Greenwich, between 7am and 8pm today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday 5 September).
– Senior regional and national UNISON officials, alongside striking healthcare support staff, will be available for interviews on both days.
– UNISON has won more than £70m for healthcare support staff through its Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contact:
Rosie Sammut M:07958 063188 E: r.sammut@unison.co.uk
