Hospital staff set to strike in row over back pay

NHS staff working in hospitals across Leeds are set to strike in a dispute over missing wages, said Unison.

- by Nicola Adam

Theatre assistants employed across four hospital sites run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have backed the walkouts because they're unhappy their employer has refused to pay them for work previously carried out when they were on the wrong grade.

The workers perform tasks such as counting swabs, inserting cannulas, collecting samples and ensuring equipment is used in a sterile manner, which the union says should have been paid at a higher rate.

Unison says staff should be moved to the correct grade, and compensated fairly for the extra duties they've carried out already.