HOSPITAL staff are voting on whether to strike over terms in their contracts which they say are unfair and exploitative.

Unite union members working for South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Trust, which oversees The Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham, are being balloted over industrial action.

Cleaning, catering and domestic supervisors employed by contractor Aramark are angry about having less sick pay, annual leave and weekend pay than the staff they manage.

Unite secured NHS terms for the staff a year ago, getting them 27 days annual leave, extra pay at weekends and bank holidays, and a sick pay scheme.

But after nearly a year of further negotiations, the supervisors remain on inferior conditions, with just 21 days annual leave, no extra pay at weekends and minimal sick pay.

Unite regional officer Richard Munn said: "Our members are fed up with being treated like commodities and want fairness for their colleagues.

“The contractors are exploiting their employees by expecting them to oversee staff, who at weekends are actually earning more money than them.

“Our members rightly expect a better remuneration package when they take on more responsibility.”

Unite has more than 200 members at the two mental health hospitals run by SLaM, which are Bethlem, in Monks Orchard Road, and Maudsley Hospital in Camberwell.

A SlaM spokesman said: “Our first priority is patient care and we have contingency plans in place so that our services would remain unaffected.”