Nearly 300 healthcare workers at a London hospital trust are set to strike from Monday over what they describe as “poverty-level” pay. Cleaners, porters, store operatives and food service assistants will form picket lines after accusing Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust of failing to address long-running complaints about wages and working conditions.
Pay and Conditions Dispute
Unite the union says NHS band two workers in central London earn just £15.89 per hour while carrying out some of the most demanding roles in the hospital. The union claims staff have raised multiple unresolved issues with management, including allegations of racist and bullying behaviour by facilities management, problems with bank contracts and hours, a lack of safety equipment for security staff, and inadequate welfare facilities such as showers and changing rooms.
In response, a spokesperson for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said negotiations are ongoing and stressed that pay levels are not set by the trust but by the wider NHS. The trust expressed regret that Unite has called strikes in the middle of these talks and urged the union to call off the action so progress can continue on a fair deal for staff.
Strike Schedule and Further Action
Strike action is scheduled to run from Monday, October 19 to Wednesday, October 21. Pickets will be held from 7am to 10.30am each day, with locations alternating between St Thomas’ Hospital and Guy’s Hospital. On the final day, workers will also march from St Thomas’ Hospital to 10 Downing Street.
Unite warns that further strikes are planned for the autumn and again in the New Year if management does not return to the negotiating table. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Guy’s 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.”
Tabusam Ahmed, Unite lead health officer for London, said workers have been left with no option but to strike due to management failures, including bullying and disrespect. He added that the dispute will inevitably have a significant impact on service delivery across the trust, but that this is “entirely of the trust’s own making.”
