Hundreds of low-paid NHS hospital workers at St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group (GESH) have voted to strike over claims that they have lost more than £36 million in pay and pension contributions over the past four years.
More than 330 facilities staff including cleaners, caterers and porters are preparing to walk out, accusing the trust of institutional racism and unfair treatment.
Their union, United Voices of the World (UVW), alleges that the mainly minority ethnic workforce has been systematically denied equal pay and conditions under the NHS’s Agenda for Change (AfC) scheme.
According to a UVW report, facilities staff earn a maximum of £13.85 an hour, compared with a £14.92 minimum for other NHS colleagues.
They also face stricter sick pay rules, fewer holidays and far smaller pension contributions, three per cent instead of the 23.7 per cent offered to other NHS staff.
The union estimates that the discrepancies have cost workers more than £30 million in wages and £6 million in lost pension entitlements since 2020.
Many workers said the pay gap has left them struggling financially. A UVW survey found that nearly half of respondents were finding it hard to survive on their wages, while more than 80 per cent reported going to work while sick to avoid losing pay.
Annabella, a cleaner at Epsom Hospital, said: “For many of us, English is not our first language, and it feels like we are being taken advantage of and exploited.”
UVW’s general secretary, Petros Elia, said “the clock has run out on this injustice. Over 300 workers are ready to take industrial action until they receive equal treatment.”
In response, a GESH spokesperson said the trust values all staff and is reviewing terms to ensure fairness.
They admitted past mistakes, including not offering full NHS pension access earlier, and apologised, saying a review was under way to align facilities staff pay and conditions.
