Operating theatre staff set to strike in Greater Manchester hospitals

Four hospitals in Greater Manchester are facing strikes from over 350 operating theatre workers next week. But the staff aren’t taking action for higher wages or better hours — they’re walking out to force their employers to pay them what they’re already owed.

The same staff already took part in four rounds of industrial action during June, taking on additional strikes to push for their rights. However, their simple demands have so far gone unmet.

The workers have scheduled their latest strikes for Monday 24 August, Wednesday 26 August and Friday 28 August. Clinical support staff, housekeepers and nurses at Fairfield Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, Royal Oldham Hospital and Salford Royal Hospital will participate in the planned industrial action.

Clear disregard for staff

The dispute behind the planned walkout centers on the Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust’s (NCA) use of an agency — NHS Professionals (NHSP) — to handle overtime. For staff, the ongoing strikes highlight deep-rooted issues in management-labour relations.

Unison, the trade union representing the hospital workers, claimed that staff are missing out on money their contracts entitle them to. It explained that:

When covering staff shortages, staff are entitled to time-and-a-half pay. However, in some cases staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, with some missing out on more than £80 per shift.

The union also reported that the NCA tabled an offer to resolve the dispute. However, the trust then quickly withdrew it before any further discussions took place. The cancellation further fuelled the frustration underpinning the strikes.

Kevin Dolan, the Unison North West regional organiser, said:

Those at the top of NCA have shown a lack of leadership and made their disregard for their staff clear.

A deal was put on the table but taken away before we had a chance to talk it over. We are ready to continue negotiations, but it’s obvious NCA has no intention of resolving this.

This isn’t complicated. Staff are simply asking for what their contract says they’re entitled to. Nothing more.

The dire state of patient safety

The Manchester Evening News reported that the strikes come whilst the NCA is already in the grip of damning concerns for patient safety. The trust’s public records show that staff are working under extraordinary pressure. As such, some of them made serious errors that caused harm to patients, up to and including deaths.

The Evening News stated:

The Trust’s own reports found lengthy delays were linked with “28 deaths” and 56 issues of “severe harm”, while problems diagnosing illness led to ten deaths last year. There were also 12,000 cases of delayed treatment last year within the Trust, with bosses claiming “persistently high” levels of sick leave are a major issue.

Gertie Nic Philib — the NCA’s strategy officer — tried to assure the public that the trust was working to ensure patient safety over the strike days: recent strikes have made this a growing concern.

We are preparing for this period of action and are working hard to minimise disruption to services and the patients who rely on our care.

Our focus throughout this period is on maintaining safe services, supporting colleagues and ensuring that patients requiring urgent, emergency and other time critical care continue to receive the treatment they need.

While we have not been able to reach agreement, we respect our colleagues’ right to take lawful industrial [action] and will continue to engage constructively and work together in the interests of patient safety.

We apologise for any uncertainty this may cause. People should be assured, that should any changes need to be made with their care, we would always contact them directly.

This is not a complicated issue. The workers are owed the money that their contracts entitle them to. If the NCA is concerned about ongoing patient safety, it must pay its staff what they’re due.

You’d think that would have sunk in after a month of ongoing strikes within Greater Manchester’s NHS network.

Featured image via the Canary

By Grace