Hospital porters on five day strike

Porters at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading who are members of the GMB union have started five days of strike action.

The dispute is around changes to overtime pay that the Union claims will cost porters between six and seven pounds every hour of overtime worked.

The union said during a two-day strike last month that 70 porters at the hospital are members of the GMB union.

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust said it is "committed to finding a way to resolve the dispute" adding that its "offered a generous package" to help reduce the impact on workers.

Louis Bryson, GMB Regional Organiser said "GMB porters are time and again going into talks with the Trust to resolve this but every time we are met with offers that just don't cut the mustard.

"GMB members won't be accepting a deal that puts them into financial difficulty, even if the trust offers to postpone the financial damage for 10 months.

"What's more, porters no longer even get priority for their own shifts - we have reports of untrained admin staff taking these shifts and even people who aren't NHS employees.

"It's unacceptable for our members and it's dangerous for patients and the public.

"Our members are taking action as a cry for help and thank the general public for their understanding.

"If anyone is inconvenienced by the strike and the disruption it causes, we encourage them to contact hospital management."

A spokesperson for Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are committed to working together to find a way forward to resolve the dispute."

"These changes are primarily about fairness and ensuring that we treat all colleagues equitably. This means having the same arrangements for porters as for other staff when undertaking work beyond their contracted hours."

"We recognise, however, that some colleagues who regularly work additional shifts could be financially affected, and we have therefore offered a generous package of transitional financial support to significantly reduce the impact."

The industrial action ends at 23:59hrs GMT on Friday 30 October.