Scottish pharmacy health workers on all-out strike have refused to go back to work until bosses carry out their promises over pay.

The Unite union members at Tayside NHS began the seventh week of their strike on Monday. They walked out on 19 August over a “flawed job evaluation process” that left some workers on “lower grades than they should be”.

Workers last Friday rejected bosses’ requests for 11 of the 39 workers to go back to work during planned hearings at a job evaluation panel.

A statement from the strikers said, “NHS Tayside requested this under the life and limb cover in order to maintain critical services.

“There was no mention of this before the strike started.

“The question around this should never have been raised if NHS Tayside had resolved this case sooner.” The Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee (Stac), a joint bosses and union body, said it would set up a job evaluation panel last month.

Workers had hoped the Stac panel would sit this week. But a statement from the Unite members last Friday said they have yet to receive notification of dates available for the post to be evaluated.

The pharmacy workers are right to be wary of health bosses’ promises. The case going to Stac followed several failed attempts by the Tayside health board to set up its own job evaluation panel.

One Unite member told Socialist Worker, “We feel overworked, underpaid, undervalued and not appreciated.”

The request for a return to work shows the bosses are nervous and keen to break the momentum of the walkout.

Thanks to Iain Brown

Donate at bit.ly/UniteTayside or phone Unite Dundee on 01328 227369

Workers at the Addaction rehabilitation service in Wigan plan a three-day walkout from Wednesday of next week.

The Unison union members are fighting for NHS Agenda for Change pay and terms and conditions.

The workers were transferred from the NHS to Addaction, a charity that has a contract with the local authority.

Paul, a Unison member at Addaction, told Socialist Worker, “We started out with a single day strike, then two and now we’re going for three.”