‘Proper’ pay rise call

Unite members employed by the private contractor Serco, working at Barts Health NHS Trust, have overwhelmingly voted to strike for a proper pay rise.

A massive 99 nine per cent of workers that took part in the ballot voted yes to strike action.

“Low paid cleaners, porters and security staff have voted for strike action by a massive majority because they have seen their real living standards drop year on year,” said Gloria Sindall, Unite regional officer.

Strike action  

Workers are now planning a three day strike starting on Tuesday July 4, followed by a seven day stoppage starting on Tuesday July 11 and then a 14 day strike starting on July 25. Further strike action will also be planned for August and September.

“Workers are now demanding a 30p per hour wage increase. Serco made over £80m in profit last year but managers are refusing to share these earnings fairly and protect the living standards of the workers,” commented Gloria.

Serco won the ÂŁ600m soft services contract for Barts Health NHS Trust last year. The company made a profit of ÂŁ82m, and pays its chief executive over ÂŁ1m a year.

Unite members employed by Serco as domestic staff, porters and security workers at Barts Health NHS Trust want a 30p per hour wage increase but the claim has been rejected by Serco.

‘Fed up’

Gloria added, “Unite members are fed up and are preparing for a series of strikes to demand a fair and proper pay rise which recognises the contribution they make to Serco and to Barts.”

Workers also called for a strike ballot because porters at Whipps Cross Hospital are up in arms over Serco’s plans to cut jobs, and to make matters worse Serco has also increased workloads to unsustainable levels for cleaners across the Trust.