Greater Manchester NHS theatre workers strike over pay dispute 2026

Key Points

• Over 350 operating theatre workers across four Greater Manchester hospitals will be out on strike for three days next week due to a dispute over overtime pay.
• The strike will occur on Monday 24 August, Wednesday 26 August, and Friday 28 August 2026.
• The strikes will affect workers at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield Hospital in Bury.
• The UNISON trade union claims that although an offer had been made to settle the dispute by Northern Care Alliance (NCA) management, it was pulled back before any discussions took place.
• The dispute is over the use of the NHS Professionals (NHSP) agency to control the trust’s overtime.
• The staff working to cover the shortages are supposed to get paid time-and-a-half pay according to their contract, but the staff gets less money than when they work a regular shift – losing more than £80 a shift according to the union.
• The operating theatre workers previously went on strike at all four locations in June.
• Kevin Dolan, UNISON North West regional organiser accused NCA management of exhibiting a “lack of leadership” and claimed that “staff are simply asking for what their contract says they’re entitled to”.

Manchester (Manchester Mirror) August 20, 2026 – Hundreds of NHS operating theatre staff at four hospitals in Greater Manchester will return to strike action next week in a dispute over overtime payments, with picket lines planned across three days. More than 350 employees of Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA), including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers, are set to walk out at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal uk/local/oldham/">Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield Hospital in Bury on Monday 24 August, Wednesday 26 August and Friday 28 August.

The latest industrial action follows earlier strikes by operating theatre staff at all four sites in June, as the row over how overtime is managed and paid continues unresolved. UNISON, the union representing the staff, says an offer to settle the dispute was initially put on the table by NCA management but was withdrawn before formal discussions could take place, prompting the union to confirm the new strike dates.

Why are NHS theatre staff striking over overtime pay?

The dispute centres on the trust’s use of an outside agency, NHS Professionals (NHSP), to manage overtime when covering staff shortages. According to UNISON, when theatre staff cover shortages they are contractually entitled to time-and-a-half pay, but under the current arrangement some are earning less than they would on a normal shift. The union says some staff are missing out on more than £80 per shift as a result.

As reported by BBC News, UNISON alleges that the row is specifically about the trust’s reliance on NHSP to administer overtime, with the union arguing that this has led to staff being underpaid relative to their contractual entitlements. The Manchester Evening News and The Manc have similarly reported that the dispute focuses on the use of NHSP and the resulting pay discrepancies for theatre teams working extra shifts.

What have UNISON and trust leaders said about the strike?

UNISON North West regional organiser Kevin Dolan said: “Those at the top of NCA have shown a lack of leadership and made their disregard for their staff clear.” He added: “A deal was put on the table but taken away before we had chance to talk it over. We are ready to continue negotiations, but it’s obvious NCA has no intention of resolving this.” Dolan continued: “This isn’t complicated. Staff are simply asking for what their contract says they’re entitled to. Nothing more.”

On the trust side, Gertie Nic Philib, NCA’s chief people and strategy officer, said: “We respect our colleagues’ right to take lawful industrial action.” She added that the trust would “continue to engage constructively and work together in the interests of patient safety”. Nic Philib said: “We are preparing for this period of action and are working hard to minimise disruption to services and the patients who rely on our care.” She continued: “Our focus throughout this period is on maintaining safe services, supporting colleagues and ensuring that patients requiring urgent, emergency and other time critical care continue to receive the treatment they need.” The trust has also said people should be assured that, should any changes need to be made with their care, they would always be contacted directly.

Which hospitals and staff groups are affected by the strike?

The strike affects four hospitals within the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust footprint in Greater Manchester. The sites are:

• Salford Royal Hospital
• Royal Oldham Hospital
• Rochdale Infirmary
• Fairfield Hospital in Bury

More than 350 NCA employees are taking part, including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers working in operating theatres. These staff groups are central to the running of elective and emergency surgical services, and their absence on strike days is expected to impact scheduled operations and theatre capacity across the four sites.

How will the strike affect patients and hospital services?

NCA has stated that its priority during the strike period is maintaining safe services and ensuring that patients requiring urgent, emergency and other time-critical care continue to receive treatment. The trust says it is preparing for the industrial action and working to minimise disruption to services and the patients who rely on its care. It has also indicated that if any changes need to be made to individual patients’ care, it will contact them directly.

As reported by BBC News, the trust’s public messaging emphasises patient safety and continuity of urgent and emergency care, while acknowledging that some non-urgent activity may be affected. Local outlets including the Manchester Evening News and The Manc have highlighted that elective procedures and routine theatre lists are likely to bear the brunt of the disruption, given the concentration of striking staff in operating departments.

What is the recent history of strikes at these hospitals?

Operating theatre staff at the four NCA sites were previously on picket lines in June, in the same dispute over overtime and the use of NHSP. The union has now confirmed a further three days of industrial action across the same hospitals, indicating that earlier talks did not produce a lasting resolution. UNISON’s statement that an offer was withdrawn before discussions could take place suggests that negotiations broke down after the June strikes, leading to the escalation to additional strike dates in late August.

Background to the overtime and agency dispute

The underlying development concerns how Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust manages overtime for theatre staff through NHS Professionals (NHSP), an external agency commonly used across the NHS to provide flexible staffing solutions. Under normal contractual arrangements, theatre staff who cover shortages are entitled to enhanced pay rates, typically time-and-a-half, for additional work. UNISON contends that the current NHSP-led arrangement has resulted in some staff receiving less pay for overtime shifts than they would earn on standard rosters, with losses reported by the union of more than £80 per shift in certain cases.

This pay discrepancy has become the focal point of the dispute, with the union arguing that staff are not receiving what their contracts guarantee when working extra shifts to plug gaps in theatre staffing. The trust’s reliance on an outside agency to administer overtime appears to have created a divergence between contractual expectations and actual payments, prompting repeated industrial action as both sides seek a resolution.

Prediction: How could this development affect patients and staff?

If the dispute over overtime payments and the use of NHSP remains unresolved, the most direct impact is likely to be continued disruption to elective surgical services at the four affected hospitals, with further cancellations or delays to non-urgent operations during strike days. For patients, this could mean longer waiting times for planned procedures and increased uncertainty around appointment scheduling, particularly for those already facing long NHS waiting lists.

For staff, repeated strikes may deepen tensions between theatre teams and trust management, potentially affecting morale and retention in already pressured departments. If the pattern of offers being tabled and then withdrawn continues, as alleged by UNISON, trust in the negotiation process could erode further, increasing the risk of additional industrial action beyond the current three-day window. Conversely, if both sides return to substantive talks and agree a clear mechanism for overtime pay that aligns with contractual entitlements, the dispute could be settled with limited long-term impact on services.