Healthcare workers win lump sum pay from Mitie

LONDON, ENGLAND — Healthcare workers have won a lump sum payment from outsourcing firm Mitie after being denied due to the nature of their contracts.
Healthcare staff at Russells Hall, Corbett, and Dudley Guest hospitals in roles including catering, restaurant, coffee shops, patient food services, and administrative staff were awarded £1600 (US$ 2,006) in lump sum payments after holding a strike organized by traded union Unite.
Around 70 members participated in the strike which resulted in the outsourcing company awarding the lump sum they were owed.
“This is a victory for Unite members who stood strong and lobbied hard for Mitie and the government to pay up,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
She noted that they will continue to use the trade union movement to challenge other NHS employers who refuse to pay their staff.
“This has been a dogged and deserved victory for our members who do the hard graft within the NHS day in and day out. They are the unseen heroes of hospitals and this lump sum pay award is well deserved,” Unite regional officer Su Lowe.
Unite is also currently in dispute with Barts Health NHS Trust over its failure to pay the lump sum for workers previously employed by an outsourcing company who are now directly employed by the trust.