'We just want to be recognised for the work we do'

HUNDREDS of healthcare assistants employed by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust yesterday walked out for two days in a dispute over missing wages.

- EMILY GRAY

The 48-hour strike organised by UNISON began yesterday at 7.30am across several sites including Northumberland hospitals Alnwick Infirmary and Berwick Infirmary, Hexham General, Wansbeck General, Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care and North Tyneside General.

Staff on the strike claim employers have refused to pay them for work carried out when they were on the wrong grade.

The workers had been carrying out tasks such as taking blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas that should have been paid at a higher hourly rate, they argue.

In 2024, the trust accepted the workers were performing duties above their role and they were regraded.

However, it is claimed senior managers have refused to compensate them fully for the extra work they did.

UNISON says the trust's refusal to settle up fairly is out of step with what is happening elsewhere in the region and around the country.

Since 2021, over 60 NHS trusts in England and Wales have agreed deals on regrading and back pay for over 40,000 healthcare workers.