IN PICTURES: Lister Hospital walk out over pay dispute

Healthcare support workers at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Foundation Trust began their first of two three-day strikes on Wednesday, with further walkouts taking place today, tomorrow and November 13, 14, and 15.

According to UNISON, more than 200 clinical support workers should be properly compensated for carrying out band 3 clinical tasks, such as blood monitoring, ECGs and patient observations, despite only being paid at band 2 rates, amounting to around £2,000-per-year less.

Staff on the picket line outside Lister. (Image: UNISON)

Lister worker Ben is among those striking, saying that he and others were left with "no choice" but to take to the picket line.

"We want to be continuing to offer great care to our patients, but after several attempts to negotiate we’ve been left with no choice but to take industrial action," he said.

"We’re not asking for a pay rise, just the money that we should have already had.

Passing vehicles honked their horns to show support. (Image: UNISON)

"We hope the trust management understand our worth and pay us the salary they should have been paying us for many years."

Staff at Welwyn Garden City's New QEII Hospital also staged a strike, with Noel adding: "Clinical and maternity support workers are some of the lowest paid workers in the trust and yet we do significantly heavy work.

"We’re just asking for what is rightfully ours. We’ve been doing band three jobs for so long and only being paid band two salary. Where’s the justice in that?
 
"We understand that striking causes problems for our colleagues and our patients, but this is about the quality of patient care and the NHS in the long run. We deserve fair pay."

Another strike is taking place next week. (Image: UNISON)

A spokesperson for the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Foundation Trust said: "The Trust has worked hard through negotiation with our local union representatives to establish a fair offer to our much-valued clinical support workers.

"The Trust offer is in line with, or more favourable than other healthcare organisations in the region, where the same offer has been accepted. 

"Our offer has already been accepted by, and paid to, a significant number of our staff.

"It is disappointing that industrial action has been called, especially as we are currently in a mediation process with UNISON through ACAS."

Staff say they've been left with no choice but to strike. (Image: UNISON)