Gloucestershire phlebotomists on 14th week of strike action
Phlebotomists in Gloucestershire have been striking over unfair pay.
Phlebotomists in Gloucestershire are in their 14th week of strike action over unfair pay.
The NHS workers who are specialists in taking blood samples first walked out in March over their wages being set at band 2.
They say they have been underpaid for years for the work they do and want the Gloucestershire NHS Foundation Trust to regrade them and make up for the years of lost earnings.
Some of the healthcare workers earn £12.36 per hour, only 15p above the legal minimum wage.
According to NHS guidance, staff with their skills, knowledge and experience should be earning at least 77p more per hour*, says the workers union UNISON.
A group of phlebotomists met with local MP’s in parliament last week to gather their support.
Phlebotomist and UNISON representative Caroline Hayhurst said: “We’ve been pushed to this point because hospital bosses refuse to listen to us or follow their own rules.”
She told Greatest Hits Radio: “Quite honestly none of us anticipated that this would go on for so long.
“We thought initially maybe a few weeks.
“We are a strong team and we’re getting stronger.
“We’re realising our worth even more standing out on the picket line.”
The Gloucestershire NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: “On 8 May 2025 we welcomed 25 Phlebotomy colleagues alongside UNISON representatives to our Trust Board meeting, where they were able to ask their questions directly to the Board and Executive Team and have those points answered.
“We also had the opportunity to sit down with UNISON and our phlebotomy colleagues on 13 May 2025 and resolve the current issues.
“Unfortunately, UNISON is presently not willing to pause the industrial action.