NOTORIOUS profiteer G4S was accused yesterday of attempting to slash the wages of 300 hospital workers after being re-awarded a contract to provide ancillary services such as cleaning.

The company, which also works with security forces in Israel, holds the contract for ancillary services at Lister hospital in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

Staff union Ucatt revealed that G4S had told the mostly female workforce that it intended to slash wages by up to £6 an hour and alter working conditions.

“G4S have adopted a heavy-handed approach to the negotiations and have begun to tell workers that if they do not agree to the changes by April 1 they will be dismissed and re-employed on inferior terms,” said Ucatt.

Night workers are set to be the hardest hit, with a £5.98 hourly loss of pay, while weekend workers will lose £2.

The company has also tried to entice workers to voluntarily agree to reduce their pay and conditions by offering a payment of £100-£200.

Ucatt claimed that G4S would also attack sick pay and holiday entitlement and that it planned to make 10 workers redundant.

“Dedicated and poorly paid workers are facing huge cuts in their pay and conditions in order for a multinational company to maintain its profit levels,” said Ucatt acting eastern regional secretary Ron McKay.

“If G4S force through these changes they will destroy morale and massively reduce productivity. That will inevitably be bad news for the hospital and its patients.”

G4S was unavailable for comment.