NHS staff who work in operating theatres across Leeds will walk out for five days later this week in a continuing dispute over money they are owed.
A meeting with hospital managers earlier today was unproductive, so workers are stepping up the strike with five days of walkouts, which will begin on Thursday (29 January).
Theatre assistants are on the lowest grade in the NHS. But they carry out crucial clinical work, such as collecting samples, assisting with complex machinery, and establishing a sterile environment, which should be paid at a higher level.
The employees, who work at three sites run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, walked out for 48 hours in December as part of their campaign to get the money they’re owed.
The union says the employees should be moved to the correct pay grade and compensated for the extra duties they’ve already completed. The trust’s refusal to pay staff fairly is out of line with other hospital trusts across the region, and around the country.
Since 2021, over 100 NHS trusts and health boards in England and Wales have agreed deals on regrading and back pay worth £250m for more than 65,000 healthcare support workers.
One such deal at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust was overseen by Brendan Brown, the current interim chief executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional manager Leonie Sharp said: “There would be no need for staff to be back out on the picket line if senior managers at the trust took this seriously.
“Staff feel they have no option but to strike to make trust bosses realise how serious this issue is.
“They carry out crucial tasks to make sure vulnerable patients are operated on safely. They just want to be paid fairly for the work they do.”
Notes:
– Staff will be on picket lines from 8am at Leeds General Infirmary, LS1 3EX on Friday 30 January, Monday 2 February and Wednesday 4 February. There will be picket lines from 8am at St James’s University Hospital, LS9 7TF on Thursday 29 January and Tuesday 3 February.
– Theatres assistants are based at three sites run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. They are Leeds General Infirmary, St James’s University Hospital and Chapel Allerton Hospital.
– Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust runs seven hospitals across five sites in total: Leeds General Infirmary, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds Children’s Hospital, Leeds Dental Institute, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Seacroft Hospital and Wharfedale Hospital.
– Staff walked out for 48 hours in December 2025.
