Hundreds of hospital caterers, security guards and porters employed by Serco were due to walk out on 30 and 31 January in protest at the company's refusal to honour a nationally agreed NHS pay deal.

A national pay deal agreed in June 2023 included two lump-sum payments for NHS staff worth at least £1,655. Unison says Serco's failure to pay means Great Western Hospital employees are being paid less than colleagues in neighbouring hospitals for doing the same work.

However, representatives from Unison, the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Serco will join South Swindon MP Will Stone for talks on 3 February.

Unison South West regional organiser, Tom Kennedy-Hughes, said: ‘Nobody wants to take strike action. Serco should use Monday's talks to make a fair offer to their staff.

‘Great Western Hospital workers are not being greedy or asking for a huge pay rise – they simply want to be paid the same as NHS staff elsewhere. They're clear they will take strike action if they have to.'

A Serco spokesperson said: 'We are pleased that the strike action has been postponed so that talks can take place.

'Serco is meeting with the unions, hospital trust, and the local MP to discuss finding a solution to fund the one-off payment.'