Wirral hospital strikes end as clinical workers reach pay deal

Clinical hospital workers in Wirral have accepted a new pay deal, ending nearly six months of strike action.

Staff agreed a deal with NHS bosses for a wage rise backdated to April 2018 for 600 workers, union officials said.

Workers at Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge hospitals first took strike action in August amid a campaign to be moved to a different pay band.

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust said it was "glad" to reach an agreement.

The Unison trade union had argued clinical support workers (CSWs) on band 2 of the NHS's Agenda for Change pay scale should only be providing personal care such as bathing and feeding. 

However, officials said CSWs at the two hospitals had been routinely undertaking clinical tasks, such as taking and monitoring blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas, for many years.

Unison said, according to NHS guidance, staff performing these duties should be on salary band 3, which amounts to nearly £2,000 per year more.

Unison north west regional organiser, David McKnight, described it as a "shame" that the trust had taken so long to reach a deal.

"Wirral's clinical support workers are completely dedicated to serving the local community but among the lowest paid staff in the NHS," he said.

"All they ever asked is for their pay to reflect the jobs they were carrying out."

Clatterbridge Hospital clinical support worker Nikki said she and her colleagues were "over the moon" the trust had agreed to the deal.

"We're the lowest-paid workers in the NHS but for years we've been plugging the gaps by performing vital clinical duties across the service," she said.

"Without our work, patients wouldn't receive the care they deserve. But for too long we haven't been paid properly for it."

A spokesperson for the trust said: "We have been committed throughout to reaching an agreement with Unison.

"We made a pledge to ensure that workers are paid for the work that they undertake and we are glad we have now been able to reach an agreement."

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