Unite members at Barts NHS Trust in east London have won their hard-fought battle for the Covid bonus they were owed.
Nearly 700 workers, including domestics, porters and catering staff, were forced to fight, just to win the Covid bonus payment paid to other NHS staff. They had previously won a massive victory when, following determined strike action, they were brought back inhouse from private employer Serco. But then the NHS bosses refused to pay them the Covid bonus.
But months of vibrant campaigning involving strikes, protests and demonstrations forced the trust bosses into a new offer, which members have voted to accept. They will receive additional ‘special leave’ to the equivalent value of the lump-sum payment.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a brilliant and incredibly hard-fought victory that our members should be incredibly proud of.”
Unite has also fought for members at a private laundry company within Barts called Synergy, and their employer has agreed to a cash payment.
Socialist Party member Len Hockey, the secretary of Unite at Barts, said:
“This represents a massive win for hundreds of our lowest-paid members in one of the biggest trusts in England. This result shows clearly that striking gets results!
“It is an emphatic answer to those who argued we could not succeed, and that workers would have to accept inequality and discrimination. This victory is a beacon to others inside and outside of this trust, showing the power of collective trade union action.”
