UNISON members working for the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) are set to walk out next week
Critical care staff at three Greater Manchester hospitals are set to walk out next week(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Critical care staff at three Greater Manchester hospitals are set to walk out next week in a long-running dispute over overtime pay.
Nursing staff, healthcare support workers and other employees in Critical Care Units at Salford Royal, Royal Oldham and Fairfield General hospitals will walk out for 48 hours from 7am on Monday (May 5) until 7.29am on Wednesday (May 7).
It will mark the third round of industrial action this year by UNISON members working for the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA), following previous walkouts in March and April.
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The union says staff are being denied overtime rates when they work beyond their standard 37.5-hour week. Instead, the trust requires them to take on extra shifts through NHS Professionals (NHSP), a third-party staffing provider, which UNISON claims can leave workers earning less than their normal hourly rate and without pension contributions.
UNISON members are calling for the right to choose whether to work additional shifts as overtime or through NHSP.
The strike will be the third this year in a dispute over overtime pay(Image: Manchester Evening News)
UNISON North West regional organiser Kevin Dolan said: “Critical care staff are highly trained, skilled professionals who literally keep people alive.
“The trust needs to reward them properly, in line with their terms and conditions, when they do overtime.”
The union said staff taking part in the action include matrons, nurses, healthcare assistants, ward clerks and domestic workers.
The Northern Care Alliance said it was working to minimise disruption during the strike period.
Juliette Cosgrove, chief nursing officer at the trust, said: “Patient safety is our priority and we will work to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum.
“All scheduled appointments across all our services are going ahead as planned, unless patients are contacted and told otherwise.
“While we are disappointed to find ourselves in this position, we respect our colleagues’ right to take lawful industrial action and remain committed to continuing constructive discussions with union representatives.”
The latest action comes after staff staged a 12-hour strike on March 12 and a 24-hour walkout on April 7.