By Niamh Spencer
Healthcare assistants carried out a lively strike protest outside the gates of a Leicester city hospital today(THURAPR25).
Dozens of members of Unison gathered outside Leicester Royal Infirmary waving placards and chanting as part of the third week of their current strike.
“We’re underpaid and undervalued,” said Debbie, a healthcare worker of ten years.
“We are the backbone of the NHS,“ added Wendy Mason, a colleague.
“This is a demonstration to show we are, as they don’t believe we are,” said Dawn who wanted the public to know “it’s not a pay rise, it is what we are owed.”
Their aim is to receive 6 years of backpay for doing work above their band 2 duties, which they claim 11 other NHS trusts have already paid to its workers.
They say Healthcare assistants are required to provide wound care, insert and remove cannulas, conduct ECGs, and monitor oxygen saturation levels, which are classed as band 3 duties.
But they say UHL is refusing to re-band band 2 healthcare workers who have been doing those tasks which is why they are on strike.
The current deal being offered to them is that all healthcare assistants would receive 2 years 7 months backpay.
“Which is not an offer it’s an insult,” said Debbie.
They argue that if they had been overpaid, they would need to pay everything back but with any underpaying, their money is being withheld from them.
She added: “It is an emotional and financial sacrifice [to be away from their patients].”
To many healthcare assistants, she said it is more than a job, it is a vocation. But, she added, nobody works for free.
Debbie said: “We get told we are compassionate and we are proud, but we are feeling UHL are not being compassionate as we are meant to be a team and they are not treating us equally.”
If you want to know more about what Unison are striking for you can find more information here.
