OUTSOURCED NHS cleaners walked out again yesterday over long-running pay row with Mitie.

More than 40 workers employed at NHS health centres across East Lancashire say the company is failing to pay them correctly and overhaul its payroll system.

They say mistakes in their payslips have been happening for more than a year, even before the company was given the contract by Community Health Partnerships, a company owned by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The staff are also in dispute because they're still waiting to receive compensation for the company’s failure to make the £1,655 NHS recovery bonus, given to other health workers in 2023, said Unison.

Yesterday marked their eighth strike day.

Unison North West regional organiser Sam Doherty said that already low-paid cleaners are suffering “extreme distress and real financial hardship” as a result.

A Mitie spokesperson said: “We have made every effort to find a resolution where possible, including correcting pay errors and securing a pay uplift for supervisors, so are disappointed that Unison members have decided to take industrial action.”

A spokesperson for Community Health Partnerships said: "CHP continues to work with our contractor Mitie to resolve the dispute with their staff and Union representatives. Our priority remains to ensure our buildings remain fit for the delivery of patient care.”