Healthcare support staff in Ipswich and Colchester will no longer be looking to strike as the union and NHS trust agree to solve a pay dispute that was previously branded a "nightmare before Christmas".
In December, UNISON, which represents the workers, said that East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) was trying to give healthcare support workers in Ipswich and Colchester Hospital £3,000 less than they were promised in a recent pay agreement.
The union noted that it had reached an agreement with the trust, which runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, in August to raise the salary band for support staff from two to three, recognizing that staff often do more work than they are paid for.
However, the union said its staff received thousands less than the agreed-upon amount, so it was considering balloting its members to strike over this dispute.
ESNEFT now says that the pair have had a miscommunication over how the money would be paid back and that they have now agreed on terms to avoid strike action.
"We have genuinely worked in partnership, developing education pathways and agreeing, through collective negotiation, an accepted offer around backpay.
"ESNEFT and UNISON have both acknowledged that there has been miscommunication and misunderstanding around the implementation of backpay, specifically as it relates to recognition of length of service."
The backpay agreed in August came after the trust recognised that those who had been undertaking work such as blood monitoring, inserting cannulas and doing echocardiograms should be paid in band three and not two.
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