Nearly 300 healthcare workers at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust will walk out this week over what they describe as "poverty-level" pay. Cleaners, porters, store operatives and food service assistants will form picket lines from Monday, following a dispute over low wages and working conditions.
Unite the union says these NHS band two workers in central London earn just £15.89 per hour while performing some of the toughest roles in the hospital. The union claims staff have long-running complaints that management has failed to address, including accusations of racist and bullying behaviour by facilities management, issues over bank contracts and hours, a lack of safety equipment for security staff, and inadequate welfare facilities such as showers and changing rooms.
Strike action scheduled over three days
The strike will take place between Monday, October 19 and Wednesday, October 21. Staff will gather at picket lines outside St Thomas' Hospital and Guy's Hospital, with a march to Downing Street planned on the final day.
- Monday, October 19: Picket line from 7am to 10.30am at St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Entrance.
- Tuesday, October 20: Picket line from 7am to 10.30am at Guy's Hospital, St Thomas Street, opposite the Shard.
- Wednesday, October 21: Picket line from 7am to 10.30am at St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road entrance, including a 10.30am march from St Thomas' Hospital to 10 Downing Street.
Further strikes are planned for the autumn if management does not return to the negotiating table, and workers have pledged to strike again in the New Year if their concerns are not addressed.
Union and trust respond
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Guys and St Thomas's is one of the country's biggest NHS trusts but is treating its staff with utter disdain. They cannot survive living in London on poverty-level wages."
She added: "Our members are the backbone of the hospital - keeping it clean, feeding patients and staff or keeping the public safe - but they are paid barely above the minimum wage. This cannot continue and they have the full support of their union in this dispute."
Unite lead health officer for London, Tabusam Ahmed, said: "It is heartbreaking to hear the struggles of these workers in their work places including having to put up with bullying and disrespect. Alongside multiple other failures of management, our members have been left with no option but to take strike action."
Ahmed added: "The trust has the power to resolve our pay dispute and work with Unite to build a culture of dignity and respect. This dispute will inevitably have a huge impact on service delivery across the trust, but this is entirely of the trust's own making."
A spokesperson for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust said: "It is unfortunate that Unite has called these strikes in the middle of ongoing negotiations. We would urge them to call off this action so we can continue making progress on a fair deal for our highly valued staff."
The trust added that negotiations are currently ongoing and that pay levels are not set by the trust but by the wider NHS.
