Video | NHS strikes against overtime pay cuts

Ian Allinson interviewed UNISON members at the Royal Oldham Hospital who are part of a growing wave of strikes against overtime pay cuts for NHS staff that undermine safe staffing levels.

The NHS is heavily reliant on overtime to cover absences and staff shortages. Most NHS staff are covered by ‘Agenda for Change’ terms and conditions which include premium rates for overtime. Many NHS Trusts have been refusing to pay overtime, instead covering shifts using ‘NHS Professionals’ (NHSP), a staffing bank owned by the Department of Health and Social Care. Rather than offering a premium for overtime, NHSP often pays staff less than their normal hourly rate. NHSP posted pre-tax profits of £11.4m last year.

Following a series of strikes, Intensive Care and Critical Care staff in bands 2 to 7, mainly nurses and Health Care Assistants (HCAs) at the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) trust have won a partial victory, with the option of overtime restored for all staff except some of the lowest paid – housekeepers and ward clerks. Their action inspired workers in theatres at the same hospitals in Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Salford to win a 99% vote for industrial action and take their first strike day on Friday 26 June, where these interviews took place. Action is spreading around the country including Luton. NCA theatre staff are due to another strike again on 2-3 June and picket lines are normally 07:30 – 12:00.