Pay rise for Compass Group Medirest staff to match equivalent NHS colleagues

Medirest, the healthcare division of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has announced a 5% pay uplift for its healthcare frontline employees in line with NHS colleagues doing similar jobs.

The increase, effective from 1 June, will be fully funded by Medirest and will benefit over 2,200 employees at 20 NHS Trusts now receiving aligned basic rates of pay.

Medirest operates at 20 NHS Trusts across the country providing a range of vital support services including catering, cleaning, portering and security. Some NHS Trusts choose to match salaries for outsourced services when awarding support service contracts in line with Agenda for Change, but in this case the uplift is being funded by Medirest.

Commenting on the new terms, Steven Cenci, managing director for Medirest said: "We want our colleagues to feel as valued as the NHS staff they work alongside. This new pay award recognises the exceptional work and the contribution our healthcare heroes are making at the hospitals in which they work."

Cenci added that Medirest teams had shown "extraordinary professionalism and commitment" to their roles during the pandemic and he was "incredibly proud" of their work to support the hospitals and communities in which they work.

In addition to the increased pay, Medirest also confirmed that the company's sickness entitlement is undergoing improvement.

In March it was reported that the foodservice firm Compass Group was awarding bonuses of around 8-17% to the 7,800 employees supporting the NHS and was also providing staff to support schools for key workers and vulnerable children, the armed forces, police, national infrastructure and government buildings.