Healthcare support workers walk out on strike in escalated pay dispute

Hundreds of healthcare support staff at two South London hospitals will walk out for 48 hours from today in an escalating dispute over pay.

The support workers from University Hospital Lewisham in High Street, Lewisham, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Stadium Road, Woolwich, are represented by the Unison union.

The workers are employed on Band 2 of the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale, which involves providing personal care like feeding and bathing patients. 

But, Unison says, these employees regularly perform clinical tasks such as taking and monitoring blood, conducting electrocardiogram tests and providing wound dressings. 

According to NHS guidance, these tasks should be compensated at the higher Band 3 level pay, which could increase salaries by as much as £2,000 annually.

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS trust, which runs the two hospitals, has refused to adjust rates or provide fair back pay for work already done, the union said.

Unison London regional secretary Jo Galloway said: “These healthcare employees are at the heart of patient care. The trust shouldn’t be asking staff to perform skilled clinical duties without proper recognition or compensation for the work they do.”

Following an initial strike on September 4, the trust made a compensation offer, but only to some workers, the union said. 

After a consultation with staff, the proposal was rejected. 

Ms Galloway said the offer was “a step in the right direction”, but did not go far enough. 

A Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust spokeswoman said its healthcare support staff were “valued and essential members” of the team. 

She said: “We have been through a comprehensive process that has seen the majority of them moved up to a higher employment band in the last few months. 

 “We want to settle this dispute, so we made a significant and fair proposal to pay three years of back pay in order to try and avoid further strike action. 

“Union representatives had indicated that this offer would be welcome, so we are disappointed that it was rejected by their members. 

“We respect their right to strike and are taking all necessary steps to appropriately care for patients during this period.”

Pictured top: Healthcare support staff during their initial strike on September 4 (Picture: Unison)