Healthcare support workers across Wales have won a major victory after years of being underpaid for the vital clinical work they do. Together, members put pressure on their health boards and the Welsh government to fix an injustice that saw thousands of staff stuck on Band 2 pay while regularly carrying out Band 3 duties.

By standing together and speaking out, members have secured a new agreement that moves staff to Band 3 and delivers long-overdue back pay and recognition payments. This is a clear example of what happens when healthcare support workers organise and act collectively – real change for people who make the NHS work every day.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board healthcare support worker Caitlyn Utting said: “It felt energising to know that healthcare assistants in hospitals right across Wales were standing together against an employer that wasn’t paying us correctly.

“UNISON backed us, we won and it feels great.”

UNISON Cymru head of health Tanya Bull said: “Thousands of low-paid healthcare support workers will savour this moment. They stood up for their right to be paid at the appropriate level for the job they’ve been doing for years.

“They’ve taken on their health boards and won. This is a triumph for people power.”

Click the Link Below to Watch a Interview with  
Dawn ward Chair of Cymru Health Committee &
 Jan Tomlinson  Cymru TU Convenor