GMB Union confirm week long walkout strikes by Medirest worker at Nottinghamshire NHS hospitals including Newark Community Hospital, King’s Mill Hospital and Mansfield Community Hospital

Three of the county’s biggest hospitals will be hit by further strike disruption from today.

Members of GMB Union have today begun a week long strike by private contractors at three of Nottinghamshire’s biggest hospitals.

Employed by Medirest, a private contractor in Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust, workers are upset with company bosses who refuse to keep terms and conditions in line with colleagues employed directly by the NHS.

Strike action will take place from 6am today (July 8) through to 6am on Saturday (July 13).

Nearly three hundred workers, including porters, cleaners, security staff, catering workers and reception teams will take part in the walkout at Newark Community Hospital, King’s Mill Hospital and Mansfield Community Hospital.

Cameron Mitchell, GMB organiser, said: “A week of strike action by 300 key workers in Nottinghamshire’s NHS must be a wake up call.

“This strike goes some way to showing just how angry these key workers are.

"More and more people are looking at Medirest and wondering why they won't do right by their staff, who patients rely on day in, day out".

Simon Roe, acting medical director at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “We recognise and value the vital role that our Medirest colleagues play in making great patient care happen here at Sherwood and we know their absence will be felt across our services over the coming days.

“We continue to work with Medirest to minimise disruption to patients and ensure that patient safety is not compromised during that time. We hope that a speedy resolution to this dispute can be found.”

The Trust also confirmed that no appointments or procedures are due to be cancelled or postponed as a result of this industrial action.