Gloucester phlebotomists pass 60 days of strike action

Forty phlebotomists at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been striking for over 60 days to demand re-banding.

Phlebotomists are specialist health workers who take and handle patient blood samples. At present, they are paid at band 2 of the NHS’s Agenda for Change pay scale, but UNISON says that their knowledge, skills and training equate to those of a band 3 worker.

The long-running dispute, led by the union, centres on the trust’s refusal to properly re-evaluate the roles that phlebotomists currently perform.

The re-banding issue was first raised with the trust in 2024, but after no action from management, UNISON members have taken matters into their own hands. The strikers demand they are re-banded to band 3 and paid up to six years of back pay to correct historic underpayment for the work they have done.

In early May, two of the members’ band 4 managers started striking with them to demand the re-banding. Sunday 25 May was the 60^th day of the strike.

For many of the union members, it is their first time taking industrial action.

UNISON representative for Gloucestershire districts health and community branch Carolyn Hayhurst said: “I’m incredibly proud to have worked in the NHS for over 40 years, with the last 10 as a phlebotomist. Our skills and training should place us at band 3, but our senior management do not recognise the work we do.

“We won’t tolerate being overlooked and underpaid anymore,” she continued.

“We care deeply for patients who aren’t getting the care they deserve, our colleagues across the hospital under pressure to cover extra work during busy shifts, and staff at local GP surgeries who can no longer send people to us for blood tests.

“The trust is wasting public money by forcing nurses, who make £4 per hour more than us, to cover our absence, putting them in a difficult position as they lack our level of training. Meanwhile, the cost of living continues to rise. Why should the lowest-paid NHS staff be treated with such disregard?”

UNISON South West regional organiser Chris Roche said: “Phlebotomists at Gloucestershire hospitals have the skills, knowledge and experience that clearly meet the criteria for a band 3 role.

“They carry out complex procedures, care for patients with additional needs and work independently across wards and clinics.

“They have done this vital job for years and they deserve to be recognised and paid accordingly.”

The striking workers have set up a hardship fund to ensure they can stay out on the picket line until the employer meets their demands.

“Running a strike for this long isn’t cheap, and we would appreciate any support you can manage – whether that’s a tenner from your own pocket or a larger donation from your union branch or organisation,” Carolyn said.

The article Gloucester phlebotomists pass 60 days of strike action first appeared on the UNISON National site.