Fresh strike action is planned at a hospital trust after talks broke down in a dispute over pay cuts.
Unison leaders say medical secretaries are among Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust administrative workers planning to strike for at least five days within the next few weeks.
Plans to impose pay cuts of up to £2,800-a-year on more than 200 admin and clerical staff have already led to two strikes totalling four days last October and November at the trust, which runs hospitals in Wakefield, Pontefract and Dewsbury.
The trust, which is seeking to make savings of £24m, say costs must be reduced.
Adrian O’Malley, branch secretary of Unison Mid Yorkshire Health, said: “The talks broke down because the management won’t talk about alternatives to ‘downbanding’ pay.
“All they talk about is pay protection for 18 months for some staff and 18 months pay protection plus a cash payment for six months for other staff. Our members have unanimously rejected the offer.
“We have told them we will be taking further action, but we haven’t given them a date yet. We will be going out on strike for at least a week, maybe more.”
Graham Briggs, the hospital trust’s director of Human Resources, said: “We believe that the model of new service we have proposed for these admin and clerical roles is appropriate and that our offer of pay protection goes an enormous way to helping individuals adjust to that change. We are therefore very disappointed that our revised offer has not been accepted as we had hoped it would enable us to resolve the outstanding disputes. Whilst we remain open to meaningful discussions on finding a way to resolve the current dispute, for example we have suggested the engagement of ACAS, this offer has been turned down.”
Mr Briggs added: “We must reduce our costs and in particular our pay bill and it is disappointing that our continued attempts to work with union representatives to find a mutually agreeable solution for the trust and the members they represent continue to be rejected.”
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