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Hundreds of the lowest-paid workers at Great Western Hospital are preparing to walk out this month after a long-running dispute over pay. The two-day strike comes after Serco, which employs the staff at Great Western Hospital (GWH) in Swindon, has been accused of refusing to pay GWH staff the same bonus awarded to staff in other hospitals. From 11am to 8pm on Thursday, January 30 and Friday, January 31, the hospital's caterers, security guards, cleaners and porters will all take a stand.
This latest strike will mark the third time they have walked out over the dispute, after previous strike action was carried out in September and November 2024. “Serco’s refusal to honour the NHS pay deal is deeply unfair and has left dedicated hospital workers struggling to make ends meet," said Tom Kennedy-Hughes, South West regional organiser of the public service union 'UNISON'. “Staff are not asking for a huge pay rise – they simply want to be paid the same as health workers elsewhere.
" Staff at other hospitals have been paid the bonus - but not at the GWH (Image: Newsquest) The national pay deal agreed in June 2023 included two lump sum payments for NHS staff worth at least £1,655. But UNISON says that Serco has refused to pay the one-off bonuses to GWH staff. The picket line will form outside the Marlborough Road entrance to the GWH on January 30 and 31, but the hospital has reassured residents that care for patients will continue as normal.
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twitter.com/cPkWIK9PKx Speaking at the November strike, UNISION Area Manager Matthew Dymond said: “Many of these people worked during Covid and they were going to work in a very dangerous environment for the NHS to look after the health of people from Swindon and Wiltshire. "These are people who keep the hospital clean, feed patients and keep the hospital safe.
“We work in every hospital in the UK and everywhere else this money has been paid." The November 2024 strike (Image: Dave Cox) Mr Kennedy-Hughes added: “There is no justification for denying its employees the same bonuses that have been paid to other NHS staff. “Great Western Hospital workers have been left with no choice but to take strike action to try and secure the fair pay they deserve.
" The latest strikes come after Serco announced profits of £249m in 2023 and expects to post even larger profits for 2024 of around £270m. Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: https://www.swindonadvertiser.
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