Victory for Low-Paid NHS Staff After Strike Action Threat
More than 330 essential NHS workers are celebrating a significant victory after hospital management agreed to implement improved terms and conditions, narrowly avoiding planned strike action. The facilities staff, comprising cleaners, caterers and porters across the St George's, Epsom and St Helier hospital group (GESH), had overwhelmingly voted for industrial action with 98% of balloted workers supporting strikes.
Historical Pay Disparity Uncovered
The dispute centred around what union representatives described as "institutional racism" within the trust's payment structures. Despite being brought in-house as NHS employees four years ago, these workers had been systematically excluded from the NHS's standard Agenda for Change (AfC) terms and conditions.
A damning report from the United Voices of the World (UVW) union revealed the extent of the financial impact on predominantly minority ethnic staff. The analysis showed facilities employees had lost approximately £32 million in pay and benefits over the years, with an additional £6 million in withheld pension contributions.
Stark Contract Differences
The pay and conditions gap between facilities staff and other NHS workers within the same hospital group was substantial:
- Facilities staff received maximum hourly rates of £13.85 compared to £14.92 minimum for other NHS colleagues
- Holiday entitlement capped at 24 days without service increases, versus up to 33 days plus bank holidays
- Employer pension contributions of just 3% compared to the standard NHS rate of 23.7%
Board Approval Ends Dispute
The immediate crisis was averted when the hospital trust's board voted on 6 November to approve proposals implementing full AfC contracts for all affected staff. This decision came after workers demonstrated their readiness to take industrial action unless their demands for equal treatment were met.
Pujan Sherpa, a cleaner with nine years of service at St Helier hospital, expressed relief at the outcome. "I'm very happy about the new contract. Now we have a pay rise, NHS holidays, NHS pensions. They will finally pay us better for working weekends, which I do," she said. "Having more money in our pockets will have a big impact on our family life."
Union Hails Worker Unity
Petros Elia, general secretary of UVW, emphasised that the improved terms resulted from collective action rather than management generosity. "This deal was not handed to these workers — it was extracted through their unity, courage, and the threat of strike action," he stated. "After years of being ignored, underpaid and treated worse than second class, they forced the trust to treat them as equals."
Hospital trust management acknowledged the need to address historical inequalities. A spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed: "We are proud of the diversity of our workforce and our board has taken decisive action to end an historical arrangement that left some of our people paid different rates for doing similar work."
The trust will now consult with affected staff about transitioning to NHS Agenda for Change terms, with implementation including pay rises exceeding £2,000 and increased annual leave scheduled to begin from April 2026.
