Bedfordshire Hospital staff plan 48-hour walk out over pay dispute

According to the union, 99% of staff were in favour of the walkout in a strike ballot earlier this month.

Hundreds of staff at two hospitals are set to strike next month over a pay dispute.

UNISON, the public service union, said more than 400 support workers at Bedford and Luton & Dunstable hospitals planned a 48-hour walkout on 11 March.

It believed staff who performed clinical tasks were not paid fairly and it also wanted to secure back pay.

The Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it is committed to working with UNISON.

In a statement it said: "We value the vital contribution of our healthcare support workers and are aware of the national issues raised around the pay bands of these roles."

UNISON said that healthcare assistants, in salary band 2 of the pay scale, should only be providing personal care and not undertaking clinical tasks.

It argued that jobs such as taking blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas were for band 3 staff.

More than 400 members of staff across two Bedfordshire hospitals are planning to take part in strike action

The trust stated it was "in agreement and fully supportive of the re-banding of these roles and have made an offer to move workers on to a higher pay grade, where applicable, with back pay to July 2021."

The unions said an offer from the trust fell short of their expectations for back pay going back to April 2018.

It added the trust had also failed to clarify which staff would be regraded.

UNISON eastern regional organiser Julie Trundell said support staff "deserve to be paid fairly for their work".

She said: "All they're asking for is to be properly rewarded and receive back pay for the work they've already done."

Sham, who works at Luton & Dunstable Hospital as a healthcare assistant added: "I love my job, but the trust is taking advantage of us."

The trust said in a statement it was in active discussions with the union and staff regarding the matter.

It added that it would "remain committed to working collaboratively in bringing the matter to a conclusion as soon as possible".