Nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers are among those who will be striking during the day shift as part of a campaign to secure fair overtime pay for employees who do extra work.

Eleventh-hour talks aimed at averting the strikes between Unison and the Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust collapsed on Tuesday (10 March).

The union says staff should receive proper overtime payments and pension contributions when doing additional shifts.

Unison says critical care units in the region are heavily reliant on overtime due to staff shortages and paying workers fairly for extra work would help relieve pressure on the hospitals.

The specialist nature of the care required means most shifts are picked up by staff already working on the unit, adds the union.

Kevin Dolan, Unison North West regional organiser, said: ‘Critical care staff are highly trained, skilled professionals who literally keep people alive. The trust needs to reward them properly, in line with their terms and conditions, when they do overtime.

‘It's disappointing the talks collapsed this week and nobody wants to be on strike. But there's still time for managers to come back with a fair solution and avoid disruption.'

In response, Katie Robinson, deputy chief nursing officer at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We respect our colleagues' right to take lawful industrial action. Throughout this process, we have worked with Unison through ACAS conciliation, and we are grateful for their constructive involvement. While both parties are disappointed that industrial action could not be avoided, our focus remains on being fair, equitable and consistent for all colleagues.

‘Patient safety and high-quality care remain our absolute priority, and we are working hard to minimise any disruption for our patients and people who use our services. Anyone who has an appointment should attend as scheduled unless contacted and told otherwise.'