Radiographers across England are preparing to take strike action, following a ballot of members of the Society of Radiographers.
"Members in National Health Service (NHS) Trusts including the Royal Marsden, University College London Hospitals, Liverpool University Hospitals, and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals have a mandate to go out on strike if the government is not prepared to discuss urgent improvements to pay and conditions for radiography professionals," the Society of Radiographers (SoR) said in a press release issued on 30 June.
Following the pay ballot in England, a total of 43 NHS Trusts hit the threshold for action by 30 June, and the majority of members voted for action in more than 150 NHS trusts, according to the SoR.
Radiographers are critical of the government's workforce plan, which they say will not mitigate the immediate shortage of radiography professionals, stated the SoR. The shortage is exacerbated by low wages for those radiographers already practicing, the organization said.
"Currently, radiographers work considerably more than their contracted hours," the SoR said. "But while they work longer hours, they have faced real-terms cuts to their pay since 2008. Total average weekly earnings have increased by 55% since 2008, but the wage increase for our members has been less than half that."
