Union announces that healthcare assistants in Northumbria have accepted improved back pay offer
Hundreds of healthcare assistants have settled their dispute over back pay after accepting an improved offer, a union has announced.
The staff working for Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust went on strike for 48 hours in July.
At the time, UNISON said that the healthcare assistants had been paid at band 2 of the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale – despite increasingly carrying out clinical tasks that should be paid at the higher band 3 rate – until the trust moved them onto the higher salary scale last year.
But it argued that the employees deserved more than the two years back pay they were given if they were to be adequately rewarded for the extra work they have done.
After the strike, the trust agreed to negotiate further. This resulted in an improved offer, which has now been accepted overwhelmingly by staff.
UNISON Northern regional secretary Clare Williams said: “It’s great to see these low paid health workers win their hard-fought campaign for fair wages and proper recognition of the years they’ve dedicated to these roles.
“It should never have come to strike action, but it’s good that the trust returned to negotiations and agreed to the back pay staff deserve.”
A Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “We are pleased that we have reached this resolution as this is a positive outcome for our healthcare assistants, wider team and our patients.
“We continue to acknowledge and appreciate the vital role that our healthcare assistants have in providing care.”