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Hundreds of low-paid hospital staff have voted to strike indefinitely over plans to effectively strip them of their NHS status in what could prove to be a test case over “backdoor privatisation” and the creation of a two-tier workforce.
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust wants to create a wholly-owned subsidiary company to run its Estates & Facilities department, which will mean the transfer of up to 600 staff out of the NHS into a company called Bradford Healthcare Facilities Management Limited on 1 October. The company’s two directors – Steve Blenkinsop and Michael Quinlan – are senior managers at the trust.
The majority of people who will be affected by the change are porters, cleaners and security and catering staff, who have started a two-week strike on 1 August. On Thursday, Unison members voted near unanimously to continue the strike indefinitely until the situation is resolved. The trust, which runs Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI), St Luke’s Hospital and several community hospitals, has offered 25 year “guaranteed” protection on terms and conditions of employment in the new company, a promise which has been rubbished by union solicitors who said the “guarantees” are not legally binding. Terms and conditions can be changed lawfully 12 months after the transfer, according to lawyers.
https://inews.co.uk/nhs/nhs-staff-bradford-nhs-teaching-trust-indefinite-strike-privatisation/
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust wants to create a wholly-owned subsidiary company to run its Estates & Facilities department, which will mean the transfer of up to 600 staff out of the NHS into a company called Bradford Healthcare Facilities Management Limited on 1 October. The company’s two directors – Steve Blenkinsop and Michael Quinlan – are senior managers at the trust.
The majority of people who will be affected by the change are porters, cleaners and security and catering staff, who have started a two-week strike on 1 August. On Thursday, Unison members voted near unanimously to continue the strike indefinitely until the situation is resolved. The trust, which runs Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI), St Luke’s Hospital and several community hospitals, has offered 25 year “guaranteed” protection on terms and conditions of employment in the new company, a promise which has been rubbished by union solicitors who said the “guarantees” are not legally binding. Terms and conditions can be changed lawfully 12 months after the transfer, according to lawyers.
https://inews.co.uk/nhs/nhs-staff-bradford-nhs-teaching-trust-indefinite-strike-privatisation/