HOSPITAL workers in East Lancashire are poised to strike as part of a national dispute over wages for non-medical staff.

Unison, the biggest health union, has been in dispute with the government over the pay offer which has been made to groups of workers including porters, clerical and admin staff, laundry and catering staff and other ancillary workers.

The union believes that non-medical staff have been offered a poor deal compared to doctors and nurses.

Karen Narramore, for Unison, covering Blackburn, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale branches, said members had been consulted and the strong indication was that a majority were in favour of strike action.

The information will now be fed back to the union nationally and a decision will be taken on whether or not Unison members should be formally balloted on strike action. Ms Narramore added: "There is a sense that doctors and nurses have had a good pay rise so the problem of pay in hospitals has gone away.

"That is not the case and many of the non-medical staff are not happy to say the least with the pay deal they have been offered." Unison in East Lancashire is already in dispute with the government over pay for millennium working.

The union has called for £500 extra in paypackets of all health workers, irrespective of grade, but local hospitals have been told if they want to pay staff anything extra, it will have to come out of local budgets and there will be no extra cash from the government.

Unison claim porters working the night shift on Millennium Eve would only receive an extra £48 in their paypackets with only slightly more for a nursing auxiliary.

But a senior nurse manager, if required to work, would receive an additional £147, claimed the union.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.