More strikes planned in Lancashire hospital blood sciences dispute over holiday pay
Unite says workers have missed out on owed overtime and absence pay
Last updated 2nd Nov 2026
Dozens of blood sciences workers at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust are to strike for four more weeks in November in a dispute over holiday pay, according to the Unite union.
Unite said workers have missed out on owed overtime and absence pay, and that the Trust has failed to resolve the issues.
The strikes will take place from 2nd to 6th, 9th to 13th, 16th to 20th and 23rd to 27th November.
Claims about outsourcing and talks
Unite said the Trust has admitted spending more than £1million, or £60,000 a week, on outsourcing to cover the duties of striking workers.
The union said that money should have been used to resolve the dispute instead.
Unite also said the Trust has refused to engage in arbitration and has refused to acknowledge there are any problems.
According to the union, the Trust recently agreed to make a settlement offer, but then went back on it and stopped communicating.
Union reaction
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "This Trust has long-running issues with their industrial relations and we are seeing first-hand the disregard with which they treat vital, skilled workers."
She added: "Rather than making real efforts to resolve this dispute, the Trust management are breaking yet more promises and wasting thousands of pounds of public funds trying to undermine it. Unite will not stand for such behaviour."
Unite regional officer Helen Flanagan said: "Unite have been clear that this is a local dispute, but the Trust have prolonged the action for months focussing on nationally used NHS systems rather than the real issues at hand."
She added: "It seems that only Unite are serious about seeking a negotiated settlement to ending the dispute, which is now solely in the hands of decision makers at the Trust."
Statement from Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, lead provider for the Lancashire and South Cumbria Pathology Service
A spokesperson said: "Our priority is, and always will be, patient care. We remain committed to finding a resolution to this dispute and have engaged constructively throughout discussions with Unite.
"We have been transparent about the financial and other impacts of this action and are keen to reach agreement, however any solution must address the issues at the heart of the dispute, be supported by evidence, be fair to the wider workforce and represent value for public money. It is disappointing that additional matters continue to be raised that fall outside the scope of the original collective grievance.
“It is almost unprecedented for derogations not to be honoured during industrial action. Derogations are agreed exemptions that allow staff to continue working in critical services during strike action to help protect patient safety. We have again urged Unite to consider reinstating these arrangements because of the increased risks to service resilience and the impact on patient care arising from their continued absence.
"We are extremely grateful to colleagues and partner organisations who continue to support services during this difficult period. Their efforts have helped us maintain safe care for patients despite significant challenges.
"Whilst we would always prefer to keep funding within the NHS, the Unite action has left us with no choice but to outsource work to external providers as well as other NHS partners to maximise testing capacity and minimise disruption. This is an expensive solution, but they are providing high quality support and our focus must remain on maintaining safe services for patients.
“We will continue to seek a resolution to the dispute."