Outsourced staff at several NHS healthcare sites in Ormskirk are threatening strike action if their employer does not bring their pay and holiday rates in line with their NHS-employed counterparts.
Unison, the UK's largest union, claims domestic employees (staff who clean and cater at healthcare sites) are being put in situations where they are forced to work even when ill due to what they consider unequal pay and rates from their employer, the facilities management giant OCS. The union is now balloting around 50 workers throughout Ormskirk and other healthcare sites in Lancashire with the aim to take strike action.
Unison said last year OCS, and Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust at whose sites the employees are based, did agree to raise pay to match that of domestic workers employed directly by the NHS. However, this did not include sick pay, annual leave or evening/weekend allowances.
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The union wants to see these rates brought in line with the domestic workers employed by the NHS.
Lee Morgan is an ex-domestic worker who is now a senior nurse for the Trust, and secretary for Lancashire Unison branch. He told the ECHO that his experience as a domestic was very different to that of OCS employees.
He said: "I actually I started as a domestic six years ago and I was given a lot of opportunities. I'm a senior mental health nurse now and that was through opportunities that were available in the NHS.
"For me it's not just about pay and conditions it's also about opportunities, but because they're outsourced they've got no opportunities. Basically, if you start as a domestic you will always be domestic at OCS, unless you can get brought back into the NHS and be given the same opportunities as other staff, like I was.
Dale Ollier, North West regional organiser for Unison, said: "This dispute has never been just about pay. It's about ensuring everyone working in the NHS is treated the same. Although OCS workers now earn more an hour, many are still struggling.
“OCS staff should be paid in full when poorly, receive the same as NHS colleagues for night or weekend work and be allowed to take the same amount of holiday."
Talking about the potential strike action he said: “No one wants services to be disrupted. OCS and trust managers need to treat employees doing similar jobs the same, regardless of who they work for. Retail, hospitality and online distribution firms are now paying better rates to attract and keep the staff they need."
A spokesperson for Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust said: “We have regularly, and continue to engage with OCS and Unison to understand their positions and as a result, and in addition to the current contractual arrangements, we have made significant additional investment to achieve salary parity for OCS staff. This brings salaries for OCS employed staff in line with the NHS scale and above the National Living Wage.
“The facilities management contract was awarded as part of a competitive and commercial process whereby any issues relating to employment contracts are the responsibility of the contractor - OCS - to resolve with their staff. The current contract is due to expire in January 2023.
“We have also worked with OCS to support a greater focus on the health and wellbeing of its staff, offering them full access to the same extensive range of support services available to NHS employed staff. As a Trust we continue to recognise and acknowledge the excellent contribution OCS staff contribute to the quality of care we provide to our service users.”
The ECHO approached OCS for comment.
