Hospital staff encounter payslip problems

Support staff at Royal Derby Hospital have seen issues with their pay packets said Unison

Hundreds of support staff at Royal Derby Hospital are “struggling” due to issues with pay from the private company they work for, said a trade union.

Unison claimed more than 650 support staff employed by ISS including porters, caterers and cleaners have had delayed wages.

It is now calling for ISS to be stripped of its contract by the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB).

ISS told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that “rectification payments” had been made to affected staff after incorrect pension deductions resulted in inaccurate wage slips.

But the trade union has alleged there are “persistent” problems with pay, including inaccurate amounts being paid for bank holiday shifts and failure to pay overtime.

A Unison spokesperson said this had left some staff underpaid by almost £300 and “struggling to meet basic living expenses such as housing, food, transportation and energy bills”.

"Financial wellbeing support"

A spokesperson for ISS UK&I: “We value the contribution of every ISS team member and will always act to address payroll issues with the utmost urgency.

“Immediate rectification payments were made to employees impacted by these errors in the calculation of pension deductions, and no employee suffered a pay shortfall.”

A spokesperson for UHDB, which is responsible for Royal Derby Hospital, but not the support staff contracts, said: “While this error is the sole responsibility of ISS, the trust has accessible support in place which ISS staff can access alongside UHDB staff, including options for financial wellbeing support should they need it.

“We hugely value the support that ISS colleagues provide at our hospitals, and we escalated this with ISS to encourage them to find a swift resolution to support those who had been affected.”

James Olner, Unison East Midlands regional organiser, said: “Some of the lowest-paid staff at Derby Royal are still facing issues with receiving the correct pay from ISS.

“While the company has admitted liability, this offers little comfort to low-paid staff who are repeatedly being let down by their employer.

“It’s time for UHDB to seriously reconsider whether ISS is fit to provide this service and whether these staff should be brought back in-house.”