Hundreds of healthcare assistants at Warrington and Halton hospitals are to strike for four days as they continue their fight for better pay.
The staff, employed by Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust, will take to the picket line today, November 2, and tomorrow. This will be followed by another two days of action on Monday and Tuesday, November 6 and 7.
This is the third time Warrington and Halton HCAs have walked out as they demand an increase in pay. Healthcare assistants on salary band 2 are paid to provide personal care, such as bathing and feeding, but the union said most HCAs routinely undertake clinical tasks, such as taking and monitoring blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas.
READ MORE: UK bank says it will give people £205 and you don't even need to switch
READ MORE: Bonfire night 'hijacked by gangs'
This, they said, means they should be elevated to a higher salary band, which is nearly £2,000 a year more.
Seven health trusts in the North West have already moved healthcare assistants to the higher rate and backdated their pay to April 2018. Last month, East Cheshire and Mid Cheshire trusts agreed to move their HCAs up to salary band 3 and provide the back pay demanded by UNISON.
UNISON North West regional organiser Angela Blundell said: “It is time for Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust to follow the lead of other trusts in the North West and pay their staff fairly. Healthcare assistants feel undervalued and less appreciated than their colleagues doing the same job in neighbouring trusts.”
A spokesperson for the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust said: "Our health care support workers are essential and valued members of our team. The issue of retrospective pay banding was first raised with us in May 2023 during a staff consultation where we proposed, and have since enacted, the uplifting of 80% of our healthcare support worker roles from band 2 to band 3.
“To explore this issue in the detail it deserves, we set up a working group which includes healthcare support workers and representatives from several trade unions. The group aims to establish a fair way to resolve this complex issue as quickly as possible, and we remain fully committed to doing so.
“It is disappointing that we have not been able to avoid Unison strike action taking place, despite being in active negotiations with them. As these discussions are ongoing, we are not currently in a position to comment on any specific details.
“We have taken, and will continue to take, all appropriate actions to minimise any impact on our patients during periods of industrial action.”
The Liverpool Daily Post newsletter delves into the biggest stories on Merseyside
