OPERATING theatre staff have voted unanimously to strike against an overtime pay cut which leaves them around £120 out of pocket per shift, Unison warned today.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ditched a national agreement to pay time-and-a-half to staff working past 37.5 hours a week in February, the union said.

Workers must now book shifts through the trust’s “bank” system and are paid at a standard rate if they go beyond contracted hours to help cover staff shortages and tackle waiting lists.

Unison Eastern head of health Caroline Hennessy said: “The NHS is under huge financial pressure at the moment, but bosses shouldn’t go looking in theatre staff’s pockets to make their savings.”

Elaine Inacio, a senior theatre assistant at Bedford Hospital, said: “It’s already stressful enough working in operating theatres, but morale has absolutely plummeted since this pay cut.”

A trust spokesperson said: “The trust standardised overtime and additional‑hours payments so that all colleagues are paid consistently and in line with national NHS Agenda for Change arrangements. We remain committed to working constructively with Unison and our theatre teams and we hope to avoid any industrial action.”