Cornwall hospital staff pay errors admits Mitie

Labour councillor Cornelius Olivier said many staff felt let down by Mitie

A company which runs cleaning services at Cornwall hospitals has apologised for unspecified errors in staff pay.

Mitie took over cleaning and catering contracts at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) in October.

An unofficial protest was staged by about 20 cleaners and porters at West Cornwall Hospital, Penzance, on Monday.

Mitie said that payroll on the contract was not "good enough at the moment". The trust said it was monitoring the contract robustly.

'Value employees highly'

Mitie said: "We are doing everything we can to make sure it gets better.

"We value our employees highly and the work that they do, and so ensuring they are paid correctly and on time is hugely important to us.

"This is the first time RCHT has outsourced its hotel services and as with every contract, there is always a period of transition.

"We've worked with the trust for five months now, out of our seven-year contract, and are committed to building on our performance in the coming months."

Workers, who walked out for about 15 minutes in their own time, say more needs to be done to address their concerns.

None of the staff wanted to talk, but Penzance Labour councillor Cornelius Olivier has called for an inquiry into how the contract was awarded.

He said: "Many staff feel they have been let down in all sorts of ways and patients ultimately suffer."

The company failed to meet required standards 85 times in January with two incidents classed as "critical", according to figures seen by the BBC.