Striking Gloucestershire hospital staff take campaign for fair pay to Westminster

Striking staff at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are meeting their MPs in Westminster today (Wednesday) to secure support for their campaign for fair pay.

The phlebotomists, who specialise in taking patient blood samples, say they have been underpaid for years for the work they do. They want the trust to regrade them properly and make up for the years of lost earnings.

Some of the healthcare workers earn £12.36 per hour, only 15p above the legal minimum wage. According to NHS guidance, staff with their skills, knowledge and experience should be earning at least 77p more per hour*, says the union.

Earlier this year, a job evaluation panel agreed the staff were on the wrong band. However, the panel was shut down by trust managers before a decision could be finalised, says UNISON.

UNISON South West regional secretary Kerry Baigent said: “These staff perform a vital role patients depend upon. Hospital managers should pay the money staff are owed and bring this dispute to an end.”

Phlebotomist and UNISON representative Caroline Hayhurst said: “Today is our 77th day of strike action. We’ve been pushed to this point because hospital bosses refuse to listen to us or follow their own rules. We’re going to Parliament because we want MPs to help us get the pay we’ve earned.”