A TRADE union is claiming victory over a plans to replace the contracts of 5,500 NHS staff.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust staff were issued with notices of redundancy last October.

They were told it was unlikely there would be any actual job losses but new contracts would be issued with what the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) argued were inferior terms and conditions.

The new contracts would have removed extra payments for working anti-social hours for staff who were off sick.

The trust, based in Stockton and Hartlepool, said savings had to be made but the RCN aas well as UNISON, Unite and GMB unions protested saying it was unfair to penalise sick staff.

After negotiations the trust has agreed to stick to the original contracts.

The trust’s director of human resources Clare Curran said: "After having face to face meetings with thousands of staff and gathering views from a questionnaire we have decided to withdraw the proposal and withdraw the HR1 form (notice of change to terms and conditions).

"One message that came over strongly from our staff during the consultation was to be tough with people who are abusing the system in terms of sickness absence.”

Glenn Turp, regional director for the RCN said: "It was always going to be wrong for a nurse employed in Teesside to be working on less favourable terms and conditions compared to a nurse doing exactly the same job in Tyneside.”