The strikes by nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield Hospital in Bury will take place on 14-15 and 17 September.

UNISON North West regional organiser Kevin Dolan said: ‘Currently, the trust's given no indication that it's willing to re-enter negotiations, once again showing a complete lack of respect for staff and patients. 

‘The department is chronically understaffed and workers are choosing to cover shortages. The least they expect is to be paid the rate it says in their contact.'

The action against the use of NHS Professionals to manage overtime resulted in a critical incident being declared by NCA last month.

Gertie Nic Philib, chief people and strategy officer at NCA, said: ‘We are deeply sorry for the disruption to patient care and wellbeing that will be caused by industrial action by some of our theatre staff next week. We will do everything we can to minimise the impact on patients and maintain high standards of care and quality at all times. We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations. 

‘We value our theatre colleagues, and we remain committed to constructive discussions and finding a fair and sustainable resolution while maintaining safe care for our patients. We are planning on meeting with UNISON on Friday to try and find an agreement and we are hopeful of finding a resolution that can minimise disruption to patient care and delays to treatment.'