NHS hospital staff plan Maudsley demonstration to highlight pay claims
NHS workers will stage a demonstration on Thursday outside the Maudsley Hospital.Â
Cleaners and catering staff across South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM) are outsourced to global facilities management giant ISS, and they are set to hold the rally to further a pay claim which they say is being ignored by their employers.Â
They want a basic rate of ÂŁ13.26 per hour and sick pay entitlement, in line with other directly-contracted NHS staff.
The GMB union members are employed across four sites within the Trust – Maudsley Hospital, Lambeth Hospital, Ladywell Unit in Lewisham and the Bethlem Royal Hospital. More than 350 people are employed at the sites by ISS.
The demonstration will take place at 10am outside the hospital, in Denmark Hill.
Helen O’Connor, GMB regional organiser, said: “Our members are sick and tired of being taken for granted by ISS – they worked throughout the pandemic and they didn’t get any recognition for it. Â
“They are fed up of going into work when they are sick and trying to survive in London on poverty pay.  Â
“ISS seem intent on ignoring GMB and our members are determined to keep campaigning until they win the pay and conditions they need and deserve. Â
“If ISS continue to ignore the voices of our members, we will be balloting them for industrial action and we are appealing to ISS and the trust to offer our hard-working members the pay they need and deserve.”
David Bradley, chief executive of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust said: “We believe a fair day’s work should get a fair day’s pay and that’s why we are strongly committed to ensuring our staff and contractors earn enough money to live in the capital.
“We have paid the London Living Wage since February 2020. This has meant that more than 300 ISS staff have been uplifted.
“At a meeting of the Trust Board in March 2023 we will be asking for agreement to implement the latest rise in London Living Wage to ÂŁ11.95 from April 1, 2023 which we will be asking ISS to ensure is passed on in full.”
Pictured top: Maudsley Hospital (Picture: Wikimedia Commons – Stephen Richards)
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