Officials from public sector union Unison say they are currently fighting for hospital workers to get a pay increase above the Government's proposed figure of two per cent.

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Liz Twist, regional head of health for Unison, which represents members in the health sector, said: "The staff working at the trust are an integral part of the foundation trust and they too have been working hard to make sure the trust can move forward.

"Unison called this year for a substantial increase for NHS staff well above the two per cent that the Government has set as their pay limit for public sector workers.

"We really want to be seeing the staff of the trust getting a sizable pay increase this year.

"It is not just the chairman of the trust that should be rewarded. It is also the staff that work hard to provide services across North Tees and Hartlepool.

"I have always said that people should be properly paid for what they do, but that should be for the staff who do patient care as well as for the chairman of the trust."