Ryan FowlerIn the South West, health workers in Wiltshire and North Devon have successfully secured a minimum £1,655 lump sum bonus following strikes. The agreement with NHS and Sodexo will see hundreds of hospital workers receive the one-off payment, initially agreed for all staff on NHS contracts and the Agenda for Change.
In Wiltshire, after two days of strike action, Wiltshire Health and Care, under pressure from UNISON members, successfully applied for additional funding from the Department of Health and Social Care to make the payments. “The three Trusts should have done more to ensure that Wiltshire Health and Care workers received the lump sum at the same time as their directly employed staff,” said UNISON South West regional secretary Kerry Baigent, criticising the delay.
North Devon saw a similar scenario with Sodexo staff, who, after striking, were initially offered 80% of the lump sum. Following a successful application for the remaining 20%, Sodexo workers are now set to receive their full payment. Baigent commented on the resolution, stating, “Hundreds of staff standing on the picket line created pressure that focused the minds of Sodexo executives and resulted in staff accepting an offer for 80% of the lump sum. Now, after this decision, they’ll be getting 100%.”
Baigent also highlighted the broader issues of pay disparity and treatment of health workers employed by private firms, saying, “Health workers employed by private firms shouldn’t be treated less favourably or earn less an hour only because they no longer work for the NHS.” She further critiqued Sodexo’s initial reluctance to pay, asserting, “But Sodexo generates huge profits and had the ability to pay its staff all along. It could have easily avoided these strikes.”
Looking ahead to 2025, when Sodexo’s contract for the service is up for renewal, Baigent suggested, “It’s time our members are brought back in house alongside their NHS colleagues where they belong,” advocating for a return to direct NHS employment for these workers.
