Counsellors providing talking therapies at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust are back on strike in a dispute over pay and grading, says UNISON today.
Despite being accredited counsellors supporting patients with complicated mental health problems, the staff are still receiving trainee rates of pay. The employer, charity Norfolk and Waveney Mind, is refusing to resolve the dispute, says UNISON.
The 20 counsellors staged initial walkouts in May and June. They have also been taking action short of strikes, refusing to offer any new high-intensity therapy.
Incredibly, Norfolk and Waveney Mind claims it doesn’t employ high-intensity therapists despite staff providing the service for years, the union says.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Norfolk and Waveney Mind should stop wasting time and pay these expert staff what they’re worth.
“NHS counsellors support some of the most vulnerable people in society. Locally, they’ve been offering high-intensity therapy for years. Charity bosses should be ashamed that they’re paying trainee rates for such crucial services.
“It’s time the employer paid up and ended this dispute. Then workers could get back to what they do best – helping vulnerable patients.”
UNISON Eastern regional organiser Cameron Matthews said: “A well-known charity and NHS contractor such as Mind should not be exploiting frontline workers in this way.
“All staff want is proper recognition and fair pay for the work they do.”
The counsellors took to the streets of Norwich after their morning picket, gathering support for the petition from members of the public.
