Hundreds of healthcare assistants at Blackpool Victoria, Clifton, and Fleetwood hospitals were set to begin a 73-hour strike on Monday, October 20, but the walkout was suspended.
The dispute centred on unpaid back wages for duties including taking blood samples, performing electrocardiogram tests, and inserting cannulas.
Sam Doherty, regional organiser for UNISON North West, said: “This is an amazing victory for the healthcare assistants in Blackpool, putting millions of pounds into the pockets of some of Blackpool’s lowest-paid NHS workers.
“Despite the trust’s initial refusal to pay them what they were owed, the staff stood together, took strike action and won.
“This is a huge victory, but the campaign won’t end until we’ve ironed out the final details.
“The trust needs to guarantee everybody is included and that deal is implemented fairly and swiftly.”
Before a previous 48-hour strike in September, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust acknowledged that staff had been performing duties above their pay grade and agreed to compensate them.
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However, it was only after further negotiations that the trust agreed to drop plans to withhold some of the money owed to staff.
Following UNISON’s campaign, the 700 healthcare assistants will now work at a higher pay band, and the union estimates they will be awarded more than £6 million in back pay.
The re-banding will also see staff moved to a higher pay grade moving forward.