Unite members at the facility walked out on 29 September and are due to continue to strike until 12 October, having already taken industrial action earlier this autumn.

The workers are employed by a private sector outsourcing company, Grosvenor Facilities Management (GFM), and are not paid on NHS pay scales. The union says the workers earn less than colleagues directly employed by the NHS doing the same facilities roles, such as chefs, domestic assistants, porters and maintenance.

The central demand is that staff are paid the same as their NHS equivalent, a proper sick pay policy is introduced and that the company recognises Unite for collective bargaining. These issues were first raised with GFM in December 2024. 

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: ‘This is another example of the private sector's race-to-the-bottom approach to pay and conditions. Paying poverty wages, refusing sick pay, refusing to recognise unions and bullying our members. Meanwhile, they are making millions off of NHS contracts.

‘This is disgraceful behaviour and Unite and our members will not stand for it. We have tried negotiating to no avail so now GFM will see the anger of our members on the picket line.'

In response, a spokesperson for GFM, said: 'We are disappointed that Unite has advised its members to continue strike action at Newham Centre for Mental Health, despite our offer of improved pay and enhanced sickness terms.

'We have proposed pay increases to bring colleagues up to the London Living Wage alongside improved sickness provisions to give additional support to our staff when they need it. This offer has not been accepted. It is untrue to suggest that we have not responded to any invitations to negotiate. We remain willing to engage in constructive discussions, but we are still waiting for Unite to provide essential information to enable this.

'It is unfortunate that strike action continues while negotiations are ongoing. In the meantime, we continue to work with the NHS trust to minimise any disruption, collaborating with them to ensure the best outcomes for staff, patients and visitors.'

East London NHS Foundation Trust, which operates the facility, was unavailable to comment at the time of writing.