NHS staff at  Merseyside hospitals vote to strike after years of being underpaid

More than 400 health staff at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (WUTH) have voted for strike action over pay, says UNISON today (Friday). An overwhelming majority (99%) of clinical support workers voted to strike in a recent UNISON ballot. Industrial action is now imminent unless the trust makes an improved offer to staff, says the union. Clinical support workers (CSWs) deliver essential care alongside nursing staff on the wards. They’re employed across the trust’s sites at Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge hospitals on the Wirral. UNISON says these employees should be paid at least £2,000 more a year because they are performing duties and tasks well above their pay grade. The NHS says that CSWs on a low pay band* like those at WUTH should only be undertaking personal care like supporting patients with going to the toilet, bathing and feeding. But a survey by the union has found that most CSWs at the bottom of the band 2 pay scale are routinely undertaking clinical tasks like taking and monitoring blood, electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, and inserting cannulas. UNISON says that according to NHS job role profiles, all these duties should be paid according to at least a band 3 salary, which is nearly £2,000 a year more. A total of seven health trusts across the North West have moved many low-paid CSWs staff onto the higher rate, and paid the affected staff backpay to April 2018. This is in response to campaigns by UNISON. Howev...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release clinical support workers nhs strikes rebanding Source Type: news