Staff at Gloucester and Cheltenham hospitals start three-day strike over pay

Healthcare workers at hospitals in Gloucester and Cheltenham, who are specialists in taking patient blood samples, will begin a 72-hour strike over unfair pay and grading, says UNISON today (Monday).

The 37 workers, known as phlebotomists, voted for strike action after Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust failed to resolve a dispute over staff pay and banding that began more than a year ago.

UNISON says the trust has incorrectly calculated the NHS workers’ pay, leaving them on the lowest salary band of the NHS, despite their skills, knowledge and daily tasks warranting the next band up.

The phlebotomists, who work with patients of all ages, often with complex physical and mental health conditions, believe they are paid around £1 per hour less than they should be, UNISON says.

Hospital managers promised to address the issue by the end of February. But, despite talks, the employer has failed to resolve the matter.

UNISON South West regional organiser Chris Roche said: “The trust has had over 12 months to correct the pay of their staff, but has instead chosen to miss deadlines and break promises.

“Phlebotomists are vital to the health service and deserve much better than the treatment they’ve received. They should be paid fairly for the work they do, not left struggling to pay their bills.

“NHS staff want to be at work caring for their patients. They don’t want to be on strike and have tried everything to get hospital bosses to do the right thing. But the phlebotomists now feel they’ve no choice but to stand-up for themselves and the health service they provide. Hospital managers must act quickly and pay the wages its staff deserve.”

Phlebotomist Dawnie Elliott said: “We’ve tried everything over the past year to get our employer to correct our pay, but they still haven’t done it.

“Now the trust is wasting money bringing in extra staff during the strike, when it should just pay us properly and invest in patient care.”