Iain Dalton, Leeds Socialist Party
Leeds Hospital Theatre Assistants organised in Unison have begun indefinite strike action in their long-running dispute over rebanding.
The claim for rebanding has been going on for years and industrial action began in December 2025. Workers are upping the ante. Trust bosses promised to resolve this dispute earlier this year, following a mass lobby of the Trust Board during the last round of strike action.
Pickets are taking place daily between the two main hospitals in Leeds, and a ‘mega-picket’ was supported by local trade unionists on Friday 9 October. Strikers also took part in a national lobby of parliament by Unison, demanding increased public sector funding.
Socialist Party members have continued to support the pickets, and Socialist Students members visited the mega-picket.
Disputes over rebanding have been taking place throughout the NHS. Unison’s Health Service Group should be looking at how the action in Leeds could be coordinated with other similar disputes.
