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Hundreds of furious hospital workers protested today amid fears the decision of their bosses to withhold a week's pay and pay less than the living wage may drive them to use foodbanks.

A joint demonstration by members of unions GMB, Unison and Unite saw cleaners, caterers and porters gather outside the Royal Liverpool Hospital to show their frustration at shoddy treatment from facilities out-sourcing giant ISS.

The ECHO revealed last month how workers on near minimum wages were facing a week without pay after ISS decided to 'upgrade' its pay roll systems to move staff on weekly pay onto fortnightly wages.

But those facing the change, dubbed 'Operation Greenfield' by the company, will not receive the first week's wages until after they leave the company - whenever that could be.

ISS, which employs around 600 staff across the Royal, Broadgreen hospital and The Walton Centre in Aintree , has offered a loan to cover the gap, but workers are angry that they have to go into debt to cover their own wages.

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Maria Moss, Unison North West regional organiser, said: "ISS are behaving thoughtlessly and recklessly in interrupting their workers’ pay. Most ISS workers do not have savings to draw on to tide them over.

"Withholding pay from staff threatens their ability to feed the kids and to pay the bills and rent. ISS’s top managers don’t seem to have any understanding of what life is like for the workers they employ on the minimum wage."

"ISS need to look again at these plans. They should not proceed with the change in pay dates unless they can ensure that staff do not suffer any detriment or hardship as a result.”

Workers outside the hospital were wary of their names getting back to their bosses.

One cleaner said: "If it was not for us, and the caterers and porters, it would all break down. I can't believe the NHS let all this go on.

"Sometimes we are the only people the patients have to speak to, and we tell the NHS staff what is going on and they can't believe it.

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

"We are looking at setting up a foodbank for some of the workers like they have done down south. That is disgusting, it's not right."

Her colleague, who has worked for the company for 40 years, said: " I am on weekly pay and after this week I don't get paid for another three weeks, on May 9.

"I have had to take a loan out, to cover my own wages. I live on my own but others have got children and it must be worse for them.

"There are others on their own who have got no families."

Another ISS employee, who gave her name as Margaret, said: "I live alone and my wages pay for everything. Some people have kids that have to have bus fares to school and they have no-one to help out.

"They say you will get it when you leave but I know people who have left and have not had anything for months."

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Another man, who did not wish to be named, said: "I don't expect anything else from ISS. it's not a surprise what they do."

Staff say they fear the behaviour of the company suggests all is not well and say they worry about their jobs.

Michael Evans, GMB regional organiser, said: "The thing is with ISS, sometimes they put plans in action and think about them after.

"As with other unions we have asked them to sit around the table to stop this process so members do not have to lose a week's wages and get a loan from their employer to get by.

"These people are the lowest paid workers in the hospital, they live day to day, hand to mouth to get by."

Louise Ellman , Labour MP for Riverside, said: "I am very concerned about this situation. It is grossly unfair to make life even more difficult for people who are already struggling to pay the bills."

In a separate issue ISS staff will be taking part in a strike ballot over the failure of ISS to pay them the agreed national rates of pay for NHS workers.

Some cleaners, caterers and porters are on higher wages despite doing the same job as ISS staff due to agreements which set a rate of pay for workers who had been transferred from the NHS to private firms.

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Unison say a similar dispute was won recently at Liverpool Women’s Hospital after Unison members employed by OCS took strike action.

OCS staff are now being paid the full NHS rates and the pay rise is worth some £2,000 a year for fulltime staff.

ISS told the ECHO it "strongly believes" the change will benefit employees as it will "give more clarity on what an employee will be paid, and when, as there will be more time to check and process pay."

A spokeswoman said: "Whilst we are aware that the employees will be embarking upon change, we are providing a full range of support to ease their concerns and any impacts of the change, and we continue to provide opportunities for employees to discuss any issues with us.

"Our open approach has proven to help minimise any discomfort the employees may feel because of the necessary change and our local management teams are working hard to communicate the right messages to everyone."

The company added that it had offered interest free loans of up to 30 weeks to cover the gap and was attempting ensure "emotional support" was available.