Dozens of operating theatre staff across Bedfordshire have walked out today (Thursday) in a dispute over cuts to their overtime pay.
Nurses, operating department practitioners, and surgery staff at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust voted unanimously to strike.
The dispute began after the trust scrapped enhanced overtime pay in February, which previously gave staff time-and-a-half for working beyond their contracted 37.5 hours.
UNISON claims theatre staff are now expected to take extra shifts at a flat rate on the staff bank, leaving some workers around £120 worse off per shift.
Read: Bedfordshire hospital theatre staff vote for strike action in overtime pay dispute
Picket lines ran from 8.30am to 10am today (Thursday) and will take place at the same time tomorrow (Friday) outside the main entrance of Bedford Hospital on Ampthill Road.
Strikes are also taking place simultaneously at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.
The union warned that the changes could make it harder to fill shifts, impacting efforts to reduce waiting lists and manage local staff shortages.
UNISON Eastern regional secretary Kerry Baigent is supporting the action and will attend the Luton picket line tomorrow (Friday) morning.
Speaking on the dispute, senior theatre assistant Elaine Inacio said: “Staff aren’t asking for anything extra, just the pay we were on before.”
Inacio added that morale has plummeted since the pay cuts, leaving workers with little choice but to strike.
Earlier this month, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust stated that the changes were introduced following a formal consultation to ensure consistency and fairness across its workforce.
The trust explained that payments were standardised to align local arrangements with national NHS Agenda for Change standards.
A spokesperson said: “We value our theatre teams enormously and fully recognise the skill, commitment and pressure involved in their roles.”
The spokesperson added that the trust is sorry some colleagues feel distressed and remains committed to continuing talks with staff and trade unions to avoid further disruption.
