OUTSOURCED staff at the Newham Centre for Mental Health are set to go on strike next month in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Workers employed by private outsourcing company Grosvenor Facilities Management (GFM) are due to walk out from September 1-5 and again on September 15-21, their union Unite announced today.

Unite claims staff are not paid on NHS pay scales and earn less than directly employed NHS colleagues doing the same facilities roles.

The workers are demanding equalised pay, a proper sick pay policy and formal recognition of Unite for collective bargaining.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "This is another example of the private sector’s race-to-the-bottom approach to workers. 

"Paying poverty wages, refusing sick pay, refusing to recognise unions and bullying our members.”

A spokesperson for East London NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are in ongoing discussions with GFM and are working to ensure that there is no disruption.”

A GFM spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that Unite has decided to rush into strike action when they have failed to provide us with essential information about how many union members they have.

“We cannot move forward with discussions and negotiations unless this, and other, vital information is provided.”

“It is completely inaccurate to suggest we have stopped responding to Unite’s demands to negotiate, not least because we’ve been in continual discussions with them since January and even in the past few days around increasing pay for colleagues receiving less than the London Living Wage, which we are addressing.”