NHS staff in Cumbria walk out in pay banding dispute

NHS staff belonging to the GMB Union in Cumbria are on strike as part of an ongoing dispute over pay banding.

Orthopaedic practitioners at North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust (NCIC) walked out on Friday and will stay off work until Monday as part of the action, with more strikes on the way if a resolution is not found.

The GMB Union, which represents the striking practitioners, claim they lack proper job descriptions, which in turn affects their pay banding.

In a statement, the Union said staff "run complex clinics, like Virtual Fracture Clinics, yet are treated unfairly, with management refusing to sign off their job description."

This, they claim leads to unfair levels of pay for orthopaedic practitioners working at NCIC as compared to colleagues at other NHS trusts.

Speaking to ITV News Border, branch secretary Claire Robbins said: "The orthopaedic practitioners lack a job description that reflects their role in fair pay."

She added that strike action would continue for "as long as it needs to."

"This particular first round, is encompassed Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, but as as long as it needs to, until we can reach resolution, which we are really keen to do."

In a statement NCIC said it was aiming to reach a "fair" resolution with staff.

They said: "We acknowledge the lack of a nationally recognised job profile for orthopaedic practitioners and the variations in banding across different Trusts.

"We have previously reviewed the job descriptions and banding to make sure they are consistent with national practices and reflect the responsibilities undertaken by colleagues.

"In response to the issues raised, we are reviewing this process to make sure it has been undertaken fairly and consistently."

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