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MORE than 50 domestic workers staged their seventh day of strike action at hospitals in Blackburn and Blackpool today, calling for pay parity with NHS staff.
The workers are employed by contractor OCS, a British-based transnational corporation employing 68,000 workers.
The workers at the Harbour NHS mental health hospital in Blackpool and the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital are members of public-sector union Unison.
The union said that the OCS workers are paid less, receive less sick pay — and when NHS counterparts were given a £50 bonus for bank-holiday working, OCS workers received a chocolate biscuit and an extra 10-minute break.
The workers voted by 92 per cent to strike.
Unison North-West regional secretary Kevan Nelson said: “With a 92 per cent ballot vote and solid sustained support for strike action, nobody can be in any doubt about the resilience and commitment of the OCS workers to take whatever action is necessary to end the scandalous exploitation and unequal treatment by their employer.”
Striking cleaner Joanne Thompson said: “It hurts to see the difference between pay and conditions in comparison to what our friends and colleagues directly employed by the NHS receive.
“It creates an internal anger and resentment when they enjoy a better standard of living and better protections, especially in relation to sick pay.
“We do not begrudge any worker what they deserve, we only ask for fairness and equal treatment.”
More strikes are planned on Thursday and Friday.
OCS and Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Trust, which awarded the contract, were invited to comment.
