13.08.2025 / Press releases / St Helier and Epsom

Nearly 400 Hundred St Helier & Epsom hospital workers Vote 98% YES to Strike 

NHS Inequality Sparks Revolt: Nearly 400 Hundred St Helier & Epsom hospital workers Vote 98% YES to Strike 

• Nearly 400 cleaners, porters and caterers vote unanimously for strike action 
• NHS-employed but still denied NHS pay and conditions after 4 years 
• Workers demand full Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts and an end to second-class status; same full-pay sick pay, same minimum pay, same pension, same enhancements and annual leave entitlements 
• This is the first time NHS workers have voted to strike to secure the basic NHS terms and conditions set out in Agenda for Change contracts while being directly employed by the NHS. It is also the first strike ever to take place at these two hospitals in recent history. 

Hundreds of essential facilities workers at St Helier and Epsom hospitals have delivered a historic ballot result, with an 81% turnout and 98% voting YES to strike action, that marks a decisive escalation in their campaign for full equality in the NHS. 

The almost 400 UVW members – overwhelmingly from migrant and minority ethnic backgrounds – are directly employed by the NHS but continue to be denied Agenda for Change (AfC) terms and conditions, more than four years after being brought back in-house. 

The workers are demanding full parity with their colleagues across the Trust, including equal wages, full sick pay, improved pension contributions and increased annual leave. Despite doing vital frontline work, they remain on inferior terms, receiving over £1 less per hour, no enhancements for nights or weekends, just 3% employer pension contributions (compared to over 23% for AfC contract holders), and up to two weeks less annual leave per year than AfC colleagues. 

The vote comes just weeks after UVW members confronted the Trust board directly at a public meeting, demanding answers. The workers’ message is clear: enough is enough. 

The strike will be the first in the hospital’s recent history and one of the most significant escalations in the ongoing struggle against inequality in the NHS. Strike dates will be announced imminently. 

Leon Broughton, porter at St Helier and UVW member, said:  

“This positive ballot result is the beginning of what’s to come. We are all fed up with what’s been going on. It’s excellent news that everybody is thinking along the same lines and we are all united. The Trust refused to listen to us for too long but we are proving that we are united and that we are speaking with one voice. They can’t ignore us any longer, because we are together in this. If they don’t listen to us now, we will go further.“ 
 

Dennis Gyamfi, cleaner at Epsom Hospital and UVW member, said:  

“I’m ready to strike, we are all ready! We’re one team, and the Trust can’t keep giving certain people better salaries and pensions while treating the rest of us differently. I’m not just ready—I’m actually looking forward to it. I’ll be out there on the picket line with my family by my side. Word about the ballot is spreading through the hospital, and the feeling is the same everywhere: we’re all ready to take action.” 

Alberta Bamfo Owiredua, cleaner at Epsom Hospital and UVW member, said:  

 “We’re are one family. We need the AFC contracts, they’ve have ignored us for too long, they’ve not been listening to us. I am happy with ballot results,  we have to go for it.” 

Ian parker, porter at St Helier Hospital and UVW member, said: 

“Brilliant result of a 98% saying yes to strike action. This result will send shivers down the management spines as we’re finally making a stand against the way we have been treated down the years with no pay rises (except only the London Living Wage rises), no  enhancements for working after 8:00pm and on Saturday and Sunday, the London weighting not gone up since 2017 rate (that today we’re still on), NOT full NHS pensions but Nest pensions, and the list goes on… I’ll be proud to stand on the picket line.” 

Petros Elia, UVW General Secretary, said: 

“This massive 98% YES vote sends a message that can no longer be ignored. These workers have shown extraordinary courage, unity and determination. They’re not asking for more than others — they’re demanding what’s rightfully theirs. They are NHS workers in every respect, yet they’re treated as second-class. That’s not just unjust — it’s discriminatory. They’ve waited four years. They’ve been ignored, sidelined and disrespected. Now, they are standing up. If the Trust won’t do the right thing, these workers will strike for the equality they deserve and UVW will back them every step of the way until victory.” 

 
For more information contact the UVW comms team. 

Isabel: 07706 987443 

Cristina: 07548 759340 

E-mail: comms@uvwunion.org.uk    

Notes for editors 

Contracts for NHS staff are governed by the 2004 Agenda for Change (AfC), which provides  much better conditions than privately outsourced workers. 

Despite doing essential frontline work, facilities workers at St Heliers and Epsom Hospitals earn less than NHS Band 2 staff – £13.85 per hour versus £14.92 – losing out on thousands annually.  

They also miss out on key benefits such as paid sick leave from day 1, and enhanced nights and weekend pay, which can boost NHS wages to £20 and £27 per hour for Band 2.  

Their pension contributions are just 3%, far below the standard NHS rate of 23%, and they are stuck on 24 days’ holiday, with no increase for length of service, unlike colleagues who receive up to 33 days plus Bank Holidays. 

United Voices of the World is an anti-racist, member-led, direct action, campaigning trade union and we exist to support and empower the most vulnerable groups of precarious, low-paid and predominantly BAME and migrant workers in the UK. We fight the bosses through direct action on the streets and through the courts and demand that all members receive at least the London Living Wage, full pay, sick pay, dignity, equality and respect. 

ENDS 

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