NHS Facilities Staff Vote to Strike Over Pay Discrimination

Published: 09 October 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

Hundreds of NHS hospital workers are preparing to take strike action following claims that they have lost more than £36 million in pay and pension contributions over the past four years. The affected staff, numbering over 330 and primarily comprising cleaners, caterers, and porters at St George’s, Epsom, and St Helier hospital group (GESH), say the disparities reflect systemic pay discrimination.

A report from their union, United Voices of the World (UVW), accuses the hospital group of “institutional racism,” pointing to significant differences in pay and working conditions between in-house facilities staff—many from minoritised communities—and other NHS employees. Many of these roles were formerly outsourced to private companies with poorer terms but were later brought in-house under NHS contracts that remain inferior to standard NHS pay scales.

The union report highlights that facilities staff earn a maximum of £13.85 per hour, while other NHS employees at the same hospitals receive a minimum of £14.92 per hour. Sick pay and holiday entitlements also differ: facilities staff receive no sick pay for the first three days of absence and 24 days of annual leave, compared with NHS colleagues who enjoy full sick pay from day one and up to 33 days’ leave plus bank holidays. Pension contributions reveal the starkest disparity, with facilities staff receiving 3% compared with 23.7% for other NHS workers.

UVW estimates that, based on these differences, staff have collectively lost more than £30 million in wages over four years, with individual losses of up to £10,000 annually for those working unsociable hours. Pension shortfalls amount to over £6 million. Workers are demanding full Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts, which would grant equal pay and conditions.

A survey conducted by UVW among 154 union members revealed that 83% of staff went to work despite being sick due to inadequate sick pay, nearly half struggled to survive on their wages, and around 23% fell into debt to make ends meet. Annabella, a specialist rapid response and pathology cleaner at Epsom hospital, said: “Why this discrimination? For many of us, English is not our first language, and it feels like we are being taken advantage of and exploited.”

UVW general secretary Petros Elia condemned the disparities: “For years, GESH trust has withheld millions in vital pay and pension contributions from their lowest-paid staff. The clock has run out on this injustice, with over 300 workers ready to take industrial action.”

An Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals spokesperson said: “Our porters, cleaners, catering and patient transport colleagues are hugely valued and respected – we have inherited a difficult issue when NHS finances are extremely challenging, but we are determined to treat people fairly. When colleagues were brought in-house, they received improved pay and conditions, including the London Living Wage, increased annual leave and access to the national workplace pension scheme (NEST). We are in the process of giving staff the choice to join the NHS pension scheme. We were wrong not to do this, and we are sorry for this error. We also want to offer our facilities staff equal terms and conditions, and a full review is underway.”

The strike vote marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over fair pay and equality within the NHS, highlighting the urgent need for systemic reforms to ensure all staff are treated equitably.