HUNDREDS of protesters took to the streets of Lewisham today to demand that the south-east London borough’s hospital becomes a living-wage employer.

Cleaners, cooks and ward hostesses contracted to work at University Hospital Lewisham by employment giant ISS marched in support of their campaign for the London Living Wage (LLW) of £10.75 an hour.

The demonstration started outside the hospital before heading to the borough’s main shopping centre, where local trade unionists and workers spoke to the crowd.

Workers have welcomed a proposal from Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust that would raise the wages of many from £8.21 to £10.55.

The GMB union, which represents the staff, says this offer of a 28 per cent pay increase is a step forward, but continues to press for hourly pay to match the LLW rate.

It also wants confirmation that the rise will not lead to job cuts or reduced working hours, along with clarification from ISS that a newly announced training course will not be used as a means to deny some workers the increase.

GMB regional organiser Helen O’Connor said: “While we see the proposed pay rise as a significant step in the right direction, we will not be celebrating until our members have received confirmation that this new rate will apply to all of them.

“If we can get assurances that this increase will be fairly and universally applied and not paid for by cuts to jobs or hours, it represents a real victory in an ongoing campaign to ensure that our members are properly paid, rewarded and respected for their contribution to delivering for patients in this hospital.”