RADIOGRAPHERS at Arrowe Park Hospital will join colleagues across the country for a second day of strike action next week as part of an ongoing pay dispute.

The walk-out on Monday morning, November 24, follows a ballot by the Society of Radiographers (SOR) in which 53.7% of members voted to strike.

All will stop work from 8am to noon and the strike action will be followed by a week of working-to-rule.

Emergency care will continue to be provided but pre-booked appointments and procedures may be affected.

Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust says it will work with unions to ensure that an "essential and emergency service" is maintained throughout the industrial action.

Richard Evans, the SOR's chief executive said: "The four hour stoppage in October and this Monday’s action are the first time since 1982 that radiographers have gone on strike over pay.

“The anger that they and other NHS workers feel is very strong. The devolved governments in Scotland and Wales have come to an agreement with their health workers.

"Why are the administrations in England and Northern Ireland not even capable of meeting with the unions to discuss a creative way forward?

"Radiographers do not want to hurt the people that they serve. Steps have been taken to minimise the impact on patients and their families.”

If there is no improvement in pay and the dispute drags on, the Society is concerned that more radiographers will leave the profession for another career, making current shortages of trained staff even worse. Patients will have to wait longer to be seen than they do now.

A study published last week estimated that 300,000 patients in England are waiting more than a month to receive the results of diagnostic procedures.

Radiography also needs to attract students to replace the people who retire or leave the profession every year.

There are fears that if pay continues to fall in value, young people will not consider a career that requires three to four years of intensive training.