Hospital workers call off strike after NHS backs down on covid bonus

Porters, cleaners and caterers had started a two-week strike when an agreement was reached

Hospital workers have called off a two-week strike after the NHS pledged to pay them a bonus for working during the covid pandemic. Last year, a lump sum payment was awarded to NHS staff in recognition of the pressure endured through the pandemic. However, some staff at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals missed out on the bonus.

On Monday (November 18), porters, cleaners and caterers at the hospitals went on strike in protest over the missing payments. During the pandemic, porters, cleaners and caterers were outsourced to private companies. They were taken back in house in April 2023, but because they weren't working for the NHS on March 31, 2023, they weren't deemed eligible for the bonus. The workers have previously taken 18 days of strike action in the dispute.

Today, the GMB union announced the NHS has agreed to give the workers their bonus payments, and members have voted to accept the offer. Kerry Nash, GMB senior organiser, said: "Our members have stuck together to fight for what they rightly deserve, receiving the payment for them was about respecting their roles and the contributions they made to support patient care.

"All health workers who put their lives on the line during the pandemic deserve this payment and now, thankfully, our members will get it too."

A spokesperson for NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group said: "We are pleased to be able to provide our colleagues with the outcome they sought and would like to thank all partners involved in finding this resolution.

"Throughout this dispute we have been keen to value and recognise the important contributions our colleagues make towards patient care."