Hundreds of healthcare assistants and clinical support workers at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust have voted for strike action in a dispute over pay, says UNISON today.
Healthcare assistants and clinical support workers across the trust will walk out unless the trust improves their offer. The union says staff should have been paid at a higher rate due to their increasingly complex duties and be awarded fair back pay. Across the trust, 99% of staff backed strike action.
This is the third trust in the north east to be in dispute with staff over wage banding. Healthcare assistants employed by the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust won a substantial pay rise in July with back pay to 2019, following 14 days of strike action.
Healthcare assistants have been paid at band 2 of the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale, despite undertaking clinical tasks for many years that should be paid at the higher band 3 rate, says UNISON.
However, the trust is refusing to reband all staff the union believes are eligible and meet the union’s demand of fair back pay for work already done.
UNISON Northern head of health Ian Fleming said: “Healthcare assistants and clinical support workers across South Tyneside and Sunderland want to continue providing exceptional care to people. However, they need to be fairly paid for their work.
“The trust has had opportunities to improve its initial offer. The majority of healthcare assistants have worked well above their wage rate for years. The trust’s offer falls well below what they deserve.
“Staff in South Tyneside and Sunderland have seen their colleagues on Teesside win their campaign for fair pay and are determined to do the same.”
