UNISON call for full details of job evaluation panel amid phlebotomist walk-out
It comes amid the continued strike action in Gloucestershire
The UNISON Union is urging the strike-hit Gloucester NHS Trust to release the full details of a job evaluation panel - amid the continued walkout with phlebotomists.
They've taken more than 100 days of action now, demanding their NHS trust employer releases full details of its decision to deny them the pay rise they're due, says UNISON today (22/7) - as they're visited by the union's General Secretary, Christina McAnea.
'The longest continuous strike in NHS history'
This comes as health staff at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General hospitals are campaigning for fair pay in what is believed to be the longest continuous strike in NHS history.
37 phlebotomists – staff who specialise in taking patient blood samples – have been striking since March.
The health workers say they have been put on the wrong NHS pay band.
They want to be regraded and given back pay to cover the extra duties they have been doing for years.
Last week a panel met to evaluate their roles. Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says the panel did not reach a unanimous decision but has refused to release its full findings.
UNISON says hospital bosses need to be more transparent and share the full details of the meeting as soon as possible.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The phlebotomists are showing incredible strength and determination in their campaign for fair pay.
“No one takes strike action lightly, but when an employer drags its feet and refuses to pay staff fairly, people are left with no choice.
“The trust needs to release full details of last week’s job evaluation panel. There’s no excuse to keep the panel’s findings a secret.
“The phlebotomists don’t want special treatment. They just want to be paid correctly for the valuable jobs they do. It’s time the trust recognised this.”
Gloucestershire NHS FT response
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.
Read more: Gloucestershire phlebotomists on 14th week of strike action