Healthcare assistants in Teesside and North Yorkshire to strike today
Members of UNISON are in a dispute over pay
Around a thousand healthcare assistants across Teesside and North Yorkshire are striking in a dispute over pay today.
UNISON says staff at the trusts’ seven sites will walk out for 24 hours from 7am, as part of their campaign to be paid on a higher wage band which accurately reflects the work they have been doing.
Although their employers accept the workers should be on a higher rate to recognise more complex duties, UNISON says the trusts must also improve an offer on the back pay staff deserve.
According to NHS guidance, healthcare assistants on salary band 2 of the NHS’s Agenda for Change pay scale should only be providing personal care, such as bathing and feeding patients.
However, UNISON says most of the healthcare assistants have routinely undertaken clinical tasks that would normally be done by those on band 3, such as taking blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas.
The Trusts acknowledge staff perform these tasks and have offered to move them up to raise their salary band. However, UNISON says the healthcare assistants must be fairly compensated and the union is demanding an improved offer on back pay.
Across the two trusts, 96 percent of staff backed strike action.
UNISON Northern regional secretary, Clare Williams, said: “Healthcare assistants provide outstanding care to people across Teesside and deserve to be fairly paid for the work they’ve done.
“Other hospitals around the country have avoided strike action by resolving pay issues through negotiation. It’s time these trusts followed suit.”
University Hospital of Hartlepool healthcare assistant Penny said: "It’s time for the trusts in Teesside to play fair and pay fair. For years, healthcare assistants have been doing extra tasks to support patients. All we’re asking is to be paid fairly for the work we’ve done.
“The current offer is simply not good enough.”
Staff employed by the North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust will be on strike at:
- University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton-on-Tees
- University Hospital of Hartlepool, Hartlepool
Staff employed by the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be on strike at:
- James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough
- Friarage Hospital, Northallerton
- Redcar Primary Care Hospital, Redcar
- East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital, Brotton
- Friary Community Hospital, Richmond
A spokesperson for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "During the latest strike action, we will once again be prioritising urgent and emergency care to protect patient safety and ensure those in life-threatening emergencies can receive the best possible care.
“If you have an appointment and we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.
“People can help us by keeping A&E free to treat the most serious and life-threatening conditions. If you have an urgent but non-life-threatening medical need, use NHS 111 online.
“NHS 111 online will help you right away and, if needed, a healthcare professional will call you.
“NHS 111 online can also direct you to an urgent treatment centre, emergency dental service, GP, pharmacy, or another more appropriate local service according to your needs.
“You can access NHS 111 online by visiting the website 111.nhs.uk.”