NHS mental health counsellors are voting for a call for strike action in protest at being paid trainee rates, leaving them underpaid by thousands of pounds a year, Unison said today.

The 20 counsellors, some of whom have worked for decades, are employed by the Norfolk and Waveney association of the Mind charity to provide talking therapy services to patients at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust with long-term or complicated mental health problems.

Unison eastern regional organiser Cameron Matthews accused Mind of “taking advantage of their commitment to patients, paying them thousands of pounds a year less than they deserve.

“After months of talks, the staff have understandably had enough and decided the only way to change Mind's stance is to vote for industrial action,” he said.

A Norfolk and Waveney Mind spokesperson said that it wants “to continue to work collaboratively with all parties involved in this dispute to find a productive and appropriate solution that resolves counsellors’ concerns while delivering the best possible service to the community.”