Home / Health / Lancashire Hospital Staff Strike Over Holiday Pay
Lancashire Hospital Staff Strike Over Holiday Pay
9 Jun
Summary
- Blood testing staff at two Lancashire hospitals will strike this summer.
- Unite union claims staff are owed thousands in holiday pay.
- Industrial action involves 20 days across four periods in June and July.
Scientists working in blood testing departments at Lancashire's Blackburn and Burnley hospitals are preparing for a series of strikes this summer. The Unite trade union announced that affected staff are owed thousands of pounds in holiday pay, which they are legally entitled to. These industrial actions are scheduled for 20 days, divided into four separate periods throughout June and July 2026.
The trust managing the hospitals acknowledged the situation and stated that comprehensive plans are being created to mitigate any disruption to patient care. Unite has criticized the trust's management, citing a history of poor employee relations and a past tribunal loss regarding similar pay issues.
Staff in the biomedical sciences department handle both urgent and routine blood tests, as well as wider diagnostic work. Unite emphasized that these employees have exhausted other resolution avenues, leaving them with no alternative but to strike. The union also highlighted that staff working various shifts have holiday pay calculated based on average earnings. The trust noted that pathology services unified across Lancashire and South Cumbria on April 1, 2026, and the current appeal concerning the grievance will be heard by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals in late June 2026.
