Victory has been achieved today for 80 Black, Brown and migrant cleaners in a landmark Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT). The courageous workers at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) were represented by law firm Leigh Day and their trade union United Voices of the World (UVW). This case highlights the NHS practice of employing through subcontractors, resulting in inequitable pay structures whereby NHS-employed workers were receiving significantly higher wages.
Black Hospital cleaners have won a landmark Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) victory against Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has upheld a landmark appeal brought by 80 cleaners at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), members of the… pic.twitter.com/TFEUMXeAoJ
— The Voice Newspaper (@TheVoiceNews) January 23, 2026
NHS — migrants work is no less valuable than a white persons
This case starts with UVW winning a campaign in 2021 to bring the 80 employment contracts in-house. Despite winning their case, the workers remained on lower pay for a further 18 months, raising serious concerns for the tribunal. They subsequently determined that this delay was ‘unreasonable, unlawful, and indirectly race discriminatory’. Furthermore, this shows a disproportionate impact seen in Black and Brown workers compared to their band two colleagues. Therefore, the EAT declared GOSH’s actions were discriminatory under the Equality Act 2010.
We all know of the western colonial tendency to undervalue the work of marginalised groups. In this case, we see a meaningful advance towards pay equality within the NHS. It further highlights the essential role of migration in sustaining the health service, while strengthening the argument that employers systematically discriminate against migrant workers as a source of low-cost labour.
According to Employee Benefits, UVW’s general secretary Petros Elia celebrated the victory and reminded us of its historic importance:
This is not just a victory; it is a historic rupture in the systemic injustice that has plagued the NHS for decades. The EAT’s ruling confirms what we have always known: that forcing these workers to wait months or years for the pay and conditions they are legally entitled to is not just bad practice, it is unlawful race discrimination.
A GOSH spokesperson provided a pretty condescending statement that we can’t help but pick up on some of these bizarre colonial sub-conscious biases:
Our cleaning and domestic services colleagues are valued members of our team at GOSH. This was a complex process, and we worked hard to harmonise staff into NHS employment quickly and in ways that worked best for individual staff. We are carefully reviewing the EAT decision. As the appeal process is ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment further.
The language of “harmonisation” uncomfortably echoes the far-right’s use of “integration”, with its troubling implications given the delay in GOSH rectifying the pay discrepancies.
It’s 2026, not 1956. I can’t believe what I’m reading. https://t.co/Y7fPUFNIXh
— Lorna_TVeditor (@Lorna_TVeditor) January 23, 2026
Equality Act 2010: What is the point if employers just circumvent it?
This case exposed a far larger issue that public discourse has long ignored. We proudly brandish laws and Acts to signal how decent and compassionate we are, even whilst their substance goes unenforced or ignored. However, it is the best unkept secret that employers find loopholes and means to ensure that discriminatory practices carry on. This time, there just ‘indirectly’ through third parties so the employer has a ‘buffer zone’ of accountability.
The NHS should be an employer that recognises the work of all, regardless of ethnicity. For years, migrants have kept our NHS staffed working endless hours just as their white British colleagues do. Nevertheless, pay discrepancies continue to come to the surface. This signals that our NHS has a long way to go in making sure it looks after all of its staff equally.
With no racial prejudice.
Featured image via Twitter
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