Staff at three south London hospitals back strikes in pay row, says UNISON
Tuesday 23 December 2025
For immediate release
Staff at three south London hospitals back strikes in pay row, says UNISON
Healthcare assistants at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, Epsom Hospital in Sutton and St Helier Hospital in Carshalton have said they are prepared to take strike action in a row over pay.
Staff are angry their employers have refused to pay them for work carried out when they were on the wrong grade.
The workers had been carrying out tasks – such as taking blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas – that should have been paid at a higher hourly rate.
Managers at the two trusts that run the hospitals* accepted the workers were performing duties above their role and they were regraded. However, UNISON says bosses have refused to compensate them properly for the extra work they did.
They are being offering just 17 months’ back pay, which the union says falls well short of fairly compensating the staff, some of whom have been acting up for as many as 20 years.
UNISON says the trusts’ refusal to settle up is out of step with what is happening elsewhere in the region and around the country. Since 2021, over 60 NHS trusts in England and Wales have agreed deals on regrading and back pay for over 40,000 healthcare workers.
The union says it will consult staff about strike dates in the new year if it doesn’t receive a fair offer.
UNISON London regional secretary Sara Gorton said: “Healthcare assistants have sent a clear message to that they’ve had enough of being undervalued and underpaid.
“Staff have been working above their pay grade for years and it’s only right that they are paid fairly for their work.
“Hospital managers have to recognise the strength of feeling on this issue. They need to come back with a proper back pay offer that properly compensates their employees for the work they’ve done. If they don’t, they can expect to see staff walking out in the new year.”
Notes to editors:
– *St George’s Hospital is run by St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The vote for strike action there was 100% in favour. Epsom and St Helier hospitals are run by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. The vote in favour of strike action there was 99%.
– Healthcare assistants can include the following roles: healthcare support workers, maternity care assistants, maternity support workers, theatre support workers, theatre support care workers, theatre support assistants, clinical support workers, radiology assistants, anti-coagulation clinic assistants, and endoscopy technicians.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contact:
Emma Davey M: 07432 733187 E: [email protected]