Forth Valley Royal Hospital workers fear debts as employer bids to introduce monthly pay

Cleaners, porters, catering staff and others who are employed by Serco at NHS Forth Valley have told union officials that they could be forced to take out loans to make ends meet if the private contractor switches from weekly to monthly pay.

Unison officials say the shift to monthly pay will force staff to stretch a week’s wages across a month, increasing the risk of debt and missed bills.

A survey carried out last week by the union said that eight out of ten Serco employees (86 per cent) don’t feel well informed about the proposal; over two-thirds (67 per cent) say moving to monthly pay would cause major financial difficulty; and only one in 20 (five per cent) believe an interest-free loan would help them manage the transition.

The union added that 83 per cent of the employees said they are willing to take part in collective action if Serco imposes this change “unfairly”.

One employee said: “We are the lowest paid in the hospital and a lot of people depend on a weekly pay. There are people on benefits who need a weekly pay.

" I have seen colleagues openly crying as they don’t know how to deal with this.”

Unison warned that for low-paid staff, weekly pay is often essential to budget for food, rent, and bills. A move to monthly pay cycles could also disrupt benefits, run up rent arrears, bank overdraft costs and cause mental distress.

Unison Forth Valley NHS branch secretary Karren Morrison said: ‘Staff don’t want to be forced into debt to adjust to a change they didn't ask for.

“It’s not just a small administrative change for these families. The proposal is causing serious anxiety because it will disrupt family budgets.

“Serco bosses have no idea what it’s like to budget for a family on a low wage, living pay cheque to pay cheque. Workers are unlikely to have savings to fall back on."

“The employer makes a considerable profit from the NHS. It has a responsibility to avoid leaving families in hardship. The move must be paused until a fair solution is agreed.”

GMB Scotland represents hundreds of Serco staff at the hospital and Karen Leonard, the union’s organiser in NHS Scotland, said the proposed payroll changes had caused needless anxiety.

She urged the company to halt the plans in response to widespread concern.

She said: “These changes have been solely driven by what suits the company with the potential impact on staff, some of the most important workers in the NHS, being given no consideration whatsoever.”

It is understood that Serco want to introduce the monthly pay to standardise its payroll as most of its workforce is paid in this cycle.

Discussions with the trades unions at national levels have been ongoing since April.

A Serco spokesman said: “We are currently consulting with colleagues about changing the frequency of their pay from weekly to monthly. We are conscious that this change will impact some colleagues and are offering continued support as well as communicating extensively throughout the consultation process.”

Last September, Serco revealed that it had kept the soft facilities management contract, involving portering, cleaning and catering services for another seven years, having been the provider since the hospital opened in 2010.

It will also provide the hard services, including building maintenance, until 2042.