Underpaid hospital workers 'betrayed' as health board pulls out of compensation deal

HEALTHCARE support workers employed at a Welsh health board feel “betrayed” after a deal to correct years of underpayment was pulled at the last minute “without explanation”.

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Members of the predominantly female low-paid workforce were due to receive compensation in their pay packets in November to end a previous dispute.

It followed years of staff having to carry out work that fell outside of their NHS Band 2 pay grade.

The compensation could have been as high as £7,000 for some workers before tax and national insurance, depending on their circumstances and length of service.

Support workers previously voted to strike over the issue after a two-year campaign for improved wages.

That led to Swansea Bay University Health Board executives pledging to move staff on to a higher pay band and provide recognition payments and back pay by December 31 this year.

However, the health board has torn up a local agreement that was reached 10 months ago, according to several workers and confirmed by Unison the union.

A spokesman for the health board said the issue had been “picked up nationally” and so it had decided to pause implementing the local agreement “while we await the conclusion of the all-Wales discussions”.

One support worker, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke to WalesOnline and called the postponement “absolutely disgraceful”.