NHS staff in Sheffield, whose care and support helps keep the elderly out of hospital and in their own homes, are to take industrial action from next week, over a long-running pay dispute.
The care workers employed by the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust have voted to work only the hours set out in their contracts and will be refusing any overtime or duties outside their job descriptions.
Earlier this year, more than 130 staff were regraded and put on a higher NHS salary band. The care workers received back pay from December 2019 (the time their regrading request, backed by UNISON, was submitted) until the end of March 2022, when the increase in their salary was put in place. But many staff received far less than they were expecting, says UNISON.
As a result, the care workers, known as rehabilitation assistants, will start a protest involving what is called action short of a strike from next Monday (28 November).
They all work for the hospital’s active recovery service and provide care to people in their own homes. By doing so, they aim to avoid unnecessary hospital and care home admissions.
The service helps ensure that when elderly people are sent home after a spell in hospital, they get the right support and don’t lose their independence.
UNISON Sheffield Teaching Hospitals branch secretary John Campbell said: “Rehabilitation assistants put their safety on the line during Covid. The least they could expect when their pay was finally increased was to be treated fairly.
“But because of complex overtime payments, there were times during the pandemic where the care staff would have been better off on their old salary band than on their new higher one. That cannot be right.
“A higher salary band should mean more pay and the trust needs to sort this situation immediately. The care staff love their jobs and have only voted for this action because they feel it’s their last option.
“Hospital managers have a week to resolve the dispute, but time is running out and there will regrettably be disruption if they don’t.”
Notes to editors:
– This action follows an industrial action ballot, the results of which were announced earlier this month. In the vote, 100% of the staff were in favour of action short of a strike, and over 90% for taking strike action.
– At the start of the pandemic, the starting salary for the care staff was less than £10 an hour. Following a union campaign, the staff were regraded to NHS band 3. They were previously on band 2. They were due back pay from 1 December 2019 to 31 March 2022, the date their salary was increased. But because of the higher unsocial hours payments the care workers received on their previous salary grade, this proved a complex exercise. Many workers found that, for large periods within the backpay period, they would have been better remaining on band 2 rather than having their basic wage uplifted to band 3. UNISON has been trying to find a resolution to the dispute, so all staff get a fair increase as a result of the re-grading. But so far, the trust has refused to agree to the union’s proposals.
Media contact:
Ashley Harper M: 07432 735168 E: a.harper@unison.co.uk
John Campbell M: 07944 928616 E: john.campbell16@nhs.net
