24/04/2026
Stand with ALL colleagues – UNISON Day of Action, 24 April
UNISON Newcastle Hospitals Branch – Member Update
On 24 April, UNISON members across the country will come together for the Fair Visa Campaign National Day of Action – standing in solidarity with overseas and migrant workers who are vital to the NHS and our hospital.
This is an issue that affects many of our members here in Newcastle, and it matters to all of us.
✊ UNISON Day of Action – Fair Visa Campaign (24 April)
UNISON is campaigning for a fair visa system for health and care workers. Current immigration rules leave many staff:
Tied to one employer
Afraid to raise concerns about bullying or unsafe workloads
Paying huge visa and surcharge fees while working in the NHS
UNISON is calling for:
An end to employer‑tied visas
Fair and secure routes to settlement
Proper recognition of the contribution overseas workers make to our NHS
This Day of Action is for everyone – migrant and UK‑born members alike. When one group of workers is treated unfairly, it weakens us all.
👉 Speak to your colleagues, share the message online, and support branch activity on or around 24 April.
👉 Get involved: https://www.unison.org.uk/events/fair-visa-action/
👉Email your MP: https://action.unison.org.uk/page/189034/action/1
👉Encourage your colleagues to join UNISON: https://join.unison.org.uk
👉consider becoming a workplace rep - email [email protected] to find out more.
✅ A UNISON victory: protecting overseas Band 3 HCAs
Recent visa salary threshold changes put overseas Healthcare Assistants working at Band 3 at real risk of losing their right to stay in the UK – not because of the value of their work, but because of arbitrary pay rules.
UNISON took action!
Through collective campaigning, political pressure and organising, UNISON successfully secured protections for overseas Band 3 HCAs, preventing members from being forced out of the NHS or facing deportation simply for doing essential frontline work. This mattered because Band 3 pay can sit close to the £25,000 threshold, meaning even small gaps can put people’s immigration status at risk. This was a clear example of what union strength delivers:
Members protected from unfair visa rules
Essential NHS roles defended
A powerful message that overseas staff are not disposable
Key Details on Band 3 Sponsorship (2026):
New Salary: The Band 3 entry point increases to £25,760, which applies to roles such as healthcare support workers, senior healthcare assistants, and clinical support workers.
Visa Threshold: The Health and Care Worker visa salary threshold remains at £25,000, making the new Band 3 pay compliant.
Eligibility: SOC 6131 (Nursing auxiliaries and assistants) is on the Immigration Salary List (ISL), which allows this role to be sponsored under the £25,000 threshold, provided the role is in an environment with registered nurses.
Time Window: This pathway is effective from 1 April 2026 until 31 December 2026, which is when the ISL is scheduled to be closed.
The UNISON Fair Visa Campaign builds on this success – because no health worker should live in fear simply because of where they were born.
🗣️ Overseas members speak out – UNISON Health Conference
At the recent UNISON Health Conference, overseas members spoke movingly about their experiences working in the NHS.
They talked about:
The anxiety of immigration status being linked to their job
Fear of speaking up about poor treatment
Feeling undervalued despite their commitment to patient care
The message was clear: overseas staff are committed to the NHS – now the system must show commitment to them.
Our branch stands in full solidarity with these members and their call for fairness, dignity and respect at work.
📊 Newcastle Hospitals Staff Survey 2025 – BME staff
The results show that Newcastle Hospitals performs around the benchmark median overall, with staff engagement and morale broadly in line with comparable trusts. While this indicates stability in some areas, UNISON is clear that “about average” is not an acceptable ambition when staff safety, wellbeing, fairness and development are at stake.
The survey once again highlights a pattern that UNISON representatives hear consistently from members: strong commitment to patient care, but growing pressure on staff capacity, learning opportunities, flexibility and teamworking.
UNISON has particular concerns about the areas where the Trust scores below the benchmark median:
Recognition and reward
Learning and development
Flexible working
Teamworking
These areas are central to retention, morale and safe patient care. They are also long‑standing issues raised by staff side.
The 2025 Staff Survey highlights continuing concerns for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) staff (Black members in UNISON).
Nationally and locally, BME staff are more likely to experience:
Bullying and harassment
Barriers to progression
A lack of confidence that concerns will be dealt with fairly
UNISON is concerned that clear gaps linked to disability/long‑term health conditions and ethnicity continue to appear in the data. These gaps represent real differences in lived experience and safety at work.
These results reinforce what UNISON members tell us every day: dedication to patient care remains high, but staff experience is under strain. Newcastle Hospitals cannot allow “average” workforce experience to become normalised. UNISON expects decisive, collaborative action to ensure staff feel safe, valued, supported and fairly treated at work.
💜 Why this matters
Fair visas, racial equality and dignity at work are trade union issues. They go to the heart of the NHS as a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace.
By standing together on 24 April, we show:
Solidarity with overseas colleagues
A commitment to equality and fairness
Strength through collective organisation
Get involved. Get active. Get organised.
In solidarity,
UNISON Newcastle Hospitals Branch
01912231373
[email protected]
