THERE were loud and lively picket lines of striking radiographers outside hospitals around the country yesterday as the NHS workers continued their 48-hour strike which began at 8am on Tuesday.
In a Strike Statement, the Society of Radiographers (SoR) spelt out the seriousness of the issues involved, saying: ‘With one in 10 radiography jobs unfilled and one million people on NHS waiting lists, our members are asking the government to invest immediately in better pay and manageable working hours – or take responsibility for the ongoing decline in numbers of professionals and the steady increase in people waiting to be diagnosed and treated.’
On the picket line outside the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, west London, Dean Rogers, told News Line: ‘We have not even been offered the 6% that other public sector workers are getting. We are after long-term pay restoration and our pay needs to be kept up in line with inflation.
‘There is a workforce crisis in radiography and there needs to be a level of investment and longterm planning. The UK is the 6th largest economy in the world yet it spends 20% less than other EU countries on the NHS. If the government doesn’t increase our pay and meet our demands in improving the services then we’ll continue to strike.’
With vuvuselas on the picket line at King’s College Hospital in Camberwell, south east London and passing cars tooting in support, striker Katie Fordyce, Lecturer Practitioner and member of the Society, told News Line: ‘I teach undergraduate and postgraduate students, and I’ve been working here for 20 years.
‘Our pay has not increased anything like the rate of inflation. It especially hits young people who are trying to get on the property ladder. People can’t afford to live in London, and travel costs have gone up too.
‘It makes it difficult to retain staff. The pay offers are not even equal. In Scotland they have offered 10%, in London it’s only 5%. So the lowest offer is where the cost of living is highest.
‘We are imaging nine out of 10 patients who come in. We desperately need an increase in staff. People are working long hours.
‘One of the reasons I have worked here so long, is that the team works together really well. And there is huge support from the public for our action. We’re really fighting for recognition.
‘Everyone here has worked hard to get qualifications, and we have advanced our skills over the years. We now do work that doctors would have done in previous times.’
Laura Stokes, apprentice radiographer, said: ‘I joined the picketing in support of my colleagues. I’ve just finished my first year of apprenticeship and I was previously a midwife, so I have experience in the NHS.
‘There’s not much recognition for Radiographers. We are trying to raise awareness of what we do. We want fair pay and better conditions.
‘At night often there are only four radiographers on duty and it’s not enough. Sometimes it doesn’t feel safe.
‘Whichever government is in power they want to cut costs in the NHS.’
