Healthcare workers in the west midlands are celebrating after being awarded over £1600 lump sum payments after a lengthy campaign by Unite the union.

 

Members working at the Russells Hall, Corbett and Dudley Guest hospitals in roles including catering, restaurant, coffee shops, patient food services and administrative staff had been told that private sector outsourcing company Mitie, wouldn’t pay the award due to the nature of their contracts. Many have decades of service in the NHS and were subsequently outsourced into the private sector.

 

Unite led around 70 members through an industrial dispute which included strike action. Following a determined campaign, Mitie has now agreed to back down and pay the lump sum Unite members were owed.

 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:

 

"This is a victory for Unite members who stood strong and lobbied hard for Mitie and the government to pay up. Their solidarity and commitment shows the strength of the trade union movement and we will be using that to challenge any other NHS employer who refuses to pay their staff money owed.”

 

Unite regional officer Su Lowe added:

 

“This has been a dogged and deserved victory for our members who do the hard graft within the NHS day in and day out. They are the unseen heroes of hospitals and this lump sum pay award is well deserved.”

 

Unite is currently also in dispute with Barts NHS trust over its failure to pay the lump sum for workers previously employed by an outsourcing company but who are now directly employed by the trust.

 

-ENDS-

 

For media enquiries, please contact Unite senior communications adviser David Carnell on 07718 666592 or email david.carnell@unitetheunion.org