Operating theatre staff walk out of Luton and Dunstable hospital again over pay dispute

UNISON says workers at the L&D and Bedford Hospital will walk out until Friday unless bosses agree to bring back overtime pay.

A spokesperson for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “This planned industrial action will impact our services, and our teams are working hard to finalise safe staffing and operational plans.

"While we will do our best to ensure urgent procedures continue, we know there will be disruption, and some delays are likely. Emergency, trauma and urgent maternity theatres will continue to run.”

Staff had been given time and a half for working additional shifts, but in February the Trust decided to pay a flat rate.

Staff have already taken five days of action in the past month.

UNISON Eastern head of health Caroline Hennessy said: “It’s outrageous that the trust is clinging to its decision to scrap overtime rates.

“Staff are actually being asked to come in to work for less. It’s no way to treat loyal and skilled employees or tackle waiting lists.

“Bedfordshire hospitals should abandon this callous cut and allow staff to get back to work.”

The Trust’s spokesperson apologised that “some colleagues feel distressed by the recent changes to overtime and additional hours payments”.

They claim the changes were introduced earlier this year following a formal consultation process and to ensure fairness and consistency across our workforce.

They said: “We had hoped for more collaborative engagement, particularly around requests we made for a small number of patients scheduled for urgent surgeries. These requests, known as derogations, are made during strike action to protect patients whose procedures cannot safely be delayed, and we remain concerned that UNISON has not supported them.

“We are keen to get round the table with UNISON and will continue to communicate directly with our staff, as we know many colleagues want to understand the full context, including the actual figures and pay rates associated with the changes made to align with national Agenda for Change. Our clinical teams have acted in good faith throughout this period, and we want to ensure our staff feel informed, supported and heard.

“Our priority is always to maintain safe, high‑quality care for patients while supporting our staff as much as possible during this challenging period.”