Royal Liverpool University Hospital to Pay Covid-19 Bonuses After Staff Strike

Following a strike lasting over two weeks, Royal Liverpool University Hospital has committed to providing bonuses to more than 130 of its employees. These payments are intended to acknowledge their contributions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The affected workers, including porters, cleaners, and caterers, had not received one-off payments issued to other health workers last year, as they were not directly employed by the NHS. GMB, the union representing these workers, confirmed that the industrial action concluded after the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust consented to disburse the lump sum. The trust stated its pleasure “to be able to provide our colleagues with the outcome they sought.” It further commented, “Throughout this dispute we have been keen to value and recognise the important contributions our colleagues make towards patient care.” Kerry Nash, GMB senior organiser, remarked, “Our members have stuck together to fight for what they rightly deserve.” She elaborated that “Receiving the payment for them was about respecting their roles and the contributions they made to support patient care.” Nash also stated, “All health workers who put their lives on the line during the pandemic deserve this payment and now, thankfully, our members will get it too.” A spokesperson for NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group commented, “We are pleased to be able to provide our colleagues with the outcome they sought and would like to thank all partners involved in finding this resolution.” They reiterated, “Throughout this dispute we have been keen to value and recognise the important contributions our colleagues make towards patient care.”