Health workers in South Tyneside and Sunderland avoid strike action after accepting an improved deal, says UNISON
Hundreds of healthcare assistants and clinical support workers are to receive a substantial wage rise and back pay after the threat of strike action over pay prompted their employer to negotiate, UNISON says today (Friday).
Staff working for South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust voted overwhelmingly in July for strike action in a dispute over fair wages.
The South Tyneside and Sunderland health workers had also campaigned for months to be given fair back pay for the work they had already undertaken.
Healthcare assistants have been paid at band 2 of the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale, despite increasingly carrying out clinical tasks that should be paid at the higher band 3 rate.
UNISON has been pressing NHS trusts through its Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign to ensure staff wages reflect the duties they perform.
After workers threatened to walk out the South Tyneside and Sunderland trust agreed to negotiate with workers, which has now resulted in an improved offer.
This is the third trust in the north east where workers have won an improved offer over wage rebanding. 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.
UNISON Northern regional secretary Clare Williams said: “It’s great to see that strikes have been avoided after staff won a hard-fought campaign. These healthcare assistants have been working above their pay band for many years.
“It should never have come to a threat of strike action, but it’s good the trust returned to negotiations and agreed the back pay staff deserved.
“The union will now work with the trusts to get health workers the money they’re owed as soon as possible.”
Notes to editors:
– Band 2 clinical support workers should only undertake personal care duties, according to NHS guidance.
– So far UNISON has won £80m for healthcare assistants and other support workers through its Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign. More information on the campaign is available here.
– 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.
