2 weeks Ago
Healthcare support workers at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Foundation Trust will stage two three-day strikes. Staff at both Stevenage's Lister Hospital and Welwyn Garden City's QEII will walkout for three hours per day on November 6, 7, and 8, before returning the picket line on November 13, 14, and 15. According to UNISON, more than 200 clinical support workers should be properly compensated for carrying out band 3 clinical tasks, such as blood monitoring, ECGs and patient observations, despite only being paid at band 2 rates, amounting to around £2,000-per-year less.
Although the trust has agreed to regrade the affected workers, the pay rate change will only backdate to January 2023. Katie, a clinical support worker at Lister Hospital, said: "We’re underpaid, overworked and deserve respect from our trust for undertaking years of band 3 work at a band 2 rate. "We’re the lowest paid in the NHS, earning just above minimum wage.
I love my job and the patients, but I’ll be striking for the pay and conditions we’re rightfully owed in unity with fellow clinical support worker colleagues old and new." Staff are also set to walk out of QEII. (Image: Archant) UNISON eastern regional organiser, Cathrine Ward, added: "These healthcare support staff are essential to the running of the NHS.
But for years their bosses have been taking advantage of them, getting clinical care on the cheap. "The trust has belatedly agreed to recognise their contribution but is still refusing to do the right thing and properly compensate them for the time they’ve been working above their grade. "Staff don’t want to strike but they’ve been left with little choice.
It’s up to senior managers to make a meaningful offer if they want to avoid industrial action." A spokesperson for the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust told this newspaper that the offer to regrade and backdate pay had already been accepted by a "significant number of our staff", and it was "disappointed" to see strike action called. "The trust has worked hard through negotiation with our local union representatives to establish a fair offer to our much-valued clinical support workers," the spokesperson said.
"The trust offer is in line with, or more favourable than other healthcare organisations in the region, where the same offer has been accepted. "Our offer has already been accepted by, and paid to, a significant number of our staff. "It is disappointing that industrial action has been called, especially as we are currently in a mediation process with UNISON through ACAS.
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