Low-paid hospital workers in Crewe, including porters, nurses and cleaners are having to pay a minimum of £15 a month to park at its Hospital - says the UK's largest trade union.

All NHS staff had been allowed to park for free at Leighton Hospital, Crewe since the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020. 

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHFT) re-instated the charges on May 1, following the government's 'Living with Covid-19' plan announced in February.

Any workers who don't sign a parking agreement by next month (June), will be denied access to the staff car park. 

Low-paid hospital workers in Crewe are having to pay a minimum of £15 a month to park at Leighton Hospital (Crewe Nub News).

UNISON is now urging MCHFT to reconsider its decision. The trade union is supporting hundreds of staff in a collective grievance, including those earning the minimum wage of £9.50 an hour. 

Cheshire and Merseyside are delaying the re-introduction of charges until July and are working with staff to reduce the impact.

Leighton Hospital's car parking charges were re-introduced two months earlier than expected and done without consulting staff.

Employees will have to pay a daily rate of £5 to park elsewhere on site or must go in search of limited off-street parking.

UNISON warns this could cause traffic chaos if staff have to park on neighbouring country lanes and could also affect residents at a nearby housing development. 

The staff hit by the charges include those who can least afford to pay and have no choice over where they're based, says UNISON. 

They rely on their cars because the hospital isn't served by a regular bus or rail service during their working hours. 

Leighton Hospital workers are already facing up to a six-mile detour to get to work. The North West Crewe Package works commenced on May 9, closing off the A530 Middlewich Road between Pyms Lane and Smithy Lane.

The project is expected to be completed in March 2023 and involve more road closures around the hospital.

The revenue raised from car parking charges is expected to be much less than pre-pandemic.

This is because many senior employees are either working from home or have moved to new offices at Infinity House, Crewe Business Park - where parking is free.

UNISON currently has over 1.3 million members across the UK (UNISON).

UNISON North West regional organiser, David McKnight said: "These frontline workers have risked their lives throughout the pandemic.

"They're now being unjustly penalised for being unable to take their work home or do their job at other locations. 

"The parking charges are a stealth tax that these workers can't afford. Some were already relying on food banks before the cost of living hitting an all-time high. 

"Imposing these charges on low-paid staff is unfair and could lead to them quitting at a time when the NHS is already struggling to fill vacancies." 

MCHFT has drawn up a tariff system that varies according to NHS pay bands.

The lowest paid are currently being charged from £15 to £20 a month, with the higher paid facing more parking charges.

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