Cleaners employed by private firm Mitie at three NHS health centres in East Lancashire, including one in Burnley, are striking for a further three days from today, says UNISON.

The domestics and their supervisors will join pickets outside their workplace at St Peter’s Health Centre in Burnley today, tomorrow and Monday.

They are walking out after being underpaid consistently, the union says.

The workers are also still awaiting a £1,655 covid recovery payment awarded to other health workers in 2023.

Cleaners employed by private firm Mitie at three NHS health centres in East Lancashire ar striking for a further three days says UNISON, including at the St Peters Centre, Burnley. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

placeholder image — Cleaners employed by private firm Mitie at three NHS health centres in East Lancashire ar striking for a further three days says UNISON, including at the St Peters Centre, Burnley. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

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UNISON North-West regional organiser Sam Doherty said the underpayment issues began when the cleaning contract was previously with another privatised company, OCS. Problems continued when the cleaners were transferred to Mitie.

He said: “Mitie was warned the strike action would escalate if the company continued to get its sums wrong, but has done nothing to resolve these issues.

“Staff are out of pocket by a considerable sum and regularly struggle to cover essential costs like food and bills while their employer profits at their expense.”