STRIKE action by porters at Southampton hospital has been suspended after the workers accepted proposals to end bullying and harassment, Unite announced today.

More than 60 porters voted to strike starting in late November, citing complaints of bullying from management, including the monitoring of toilet breaks, being forbidden from sitting during shifts and being denied water breaks while on duty.

Unite also raised concerns about financial bullying through the unfair allocation of shifts to private agency workers, while NHS porters had to survive on minimum wage, and said that porters advocating for a safer work environment were ignored.

Strikes in December and January have now been suspended following four weeks of “marathon negotiations,” Unite says, with the hospital agreeing to commit to a 67-point plan to end bullying and harassment. 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a tremendously important victory for a group of low-paid workers who had been systemically mistreated by management. 

“By being prepared to stand up and be counted, while willing to take industrial action, the porters have ensured a dramatic improvement in their working conditions. Their bravery should be applauded.”