WIRRAL hospital strikes have ended after support workers secured back pay and grading.

Clinical support workers (CSWs) at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have agreed a deal with the trust that should see more than 600 workers receive a wage rise and back pay to April 2018, says union Unison today (Thursday, April 4).

The deal follows a long Unison campaign during which workers at Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge hospitals were on strike for a total of 61 days.

Clinical support workers on band 2 of the NHS’s Agenda for Change pay scale should only be providing personal care such as bathing and feeding. 

However, Unison said most CSWs at the two hospitals have been routinely undertaking clinical tasks, such as taking and monitoring blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas.

According to NHS guidance, staff performing these duties should be on salary band 3, which is nearly £2,000 a year more.   

In August 2023, support workers employed in Wirral became the first in England to take strike action over this issue.

Last month, the workers voted to renew their strike mandate.

Presented with the latest offer, this week the workers voted to accept, bringing the long-running dispute to an end.

Unison North West regional organiser David McKnight said: "For far too long, these workers haven’t been fairly paid. They’re relieved the trust has finally agreed to do the right thing and recognise their hard work.

“Wirral’s clinical support workers are completely dedicated to serving the local community but among the lowest paid staff in the NHS.

“All they ever asked is for their pay to reflect the jobs they were carrying out.

“It’s a shame it took so long for the trust to make an offer that recognised their value.

“Nobody wants to take strike action but these workers were determined to get justice.

“Now this has been settled, it will leave a legacy of hundreds of fairly paid jobs for future generations of NHS workers serving the people of the Wirral.”

Strikes began on August 31 2023 and the last day of strike action was on February 8.

There was a pause in November following an agreement between the trust and the union on the date affected staff should benefit from backpay. But workers resumed striking after a disagreement over the number of people entitled to back pay and regrading. 

A Wirral University Teaching Hospital spokesperson said: “We have been committed throughout to reaching an agreement with UNISON. We made a pledge to ensure that workers are paid for the work that they undertake and we are glad we have now been able to reach an agreement.”