THOUSANDS of NHS workers across Manchester have received up to £5,000 in back pay following a “hard-won, six-year” Unison campaign, the health union announced today.

For years, healthcare assistants in hospitals across the city have been performing clinical duties that are above their pay grade, according to Unison. 

But, after joining forces within the union’s north-west region, they have forced Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust to “reward and recognise this,” it said. 

Regional organiser Dan Smith stressed the victory was only possible through “deep organising.”

“We started off [in 2016] by doing walk rounds in hospitals, face-to-face surveys and meetings to find out what duties healthcare assistants were doing,” he explained. 

The results suggested most were directly employed on band two contracts, which involved the provision of personal care such as bathing, feeding and toileting patients.

But the union found that they were also often performing band three clinical duties, such as taking and monitoring bloods, carrying out electrocardiogram tests and escorting patients unaccompanied. 

When informed, bosses at the trust were “slow to respond,” according to Unison, but a summit, “bringing together more than 20 workers with MPs and councillors,” eventually led to a new framework agreement.

The deal ensured the rebanding of the affected workers and the potential for back pay up to April 1 2018.

They are now having their jobs reviewed, and as of last month, back pay began to appear in staff bank accounts.

Unison rep Jenna Rooney said: “It’s amazing to see members receive this – especially at this time when the cost of living is through the roof. 

“It’s nice for people to have a bit of breathing space for a month or two.”