WORKERS at Amersham and Wycombe hospitals were today on strike for the second time in just over a month due to a dispute over sick pay.

Members of the Unison union staged another round of protests outside Wycombe Hospital, with slogans such as “we deserve a fair deal" and “workers in solidarity” lining the walls around the entrance.

The cleaners, porters and catering staff at the hospitals are involved in a dispute with Medirest, a private firm contracted by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospitals.

Lesley Pluck, of Unison, said: “Workers at Stoke Mandeville receive full sick pay [under a different contractor], but the guys who work here and doing exactly the same jobs simply do not.

“We've been trying to get the trust and Medirest to listen. All we want is to just be on level terms with everyone else.”

She said the staff on strike had received “a lot of public support”, with about £150,000 donated to help workers financially during the walkout.

The hospitals' Medirest staff only get statutory sick pay of £79.15 per week. 'In-house' NHS staff, by contrast get full pay for at least one month when sick.

NHS sick pay also kicks in immediately, whereas statutory sick pay - the legal minimum – is only payable after three days of illness.

Last month Medirest said funds have not been made available by the trust to meet the terms being demanded.

Both Medirest and the trust insisted this week that the hospitals would remain clean and safe, and services would not be affected.