Hospital workers forced to strike over privateers Sodexo 3 year breach of promise

Please note that Privateer contracting company Sodexo which was party to agreements to end two tier working in the NHS is now trying to run away from its responsibilities to properly pay its contracted out staff.  This has resulted in strike action in North Devon.

I thought that Sodexo accordng to its web site "has an unrivalled reputation for building lasting partnerships with clients through open, transparent relationships based on trust and exceptional performance". Yeah.  I hope no-one in any responsible postion will consider awarding or renewing contracts to such companies until they do the decent thing.  I wonder if Sodexo is a public company and if our pension funds own shares in it?  Must find out!

From UNISON Website (04/01/10) More than 200 UNISON members working for Sodexo at the North Devon NHS Trust are due to start a two-day strike at midnight tonight over the company's and trust's refusal to pay them Agenda for Change wages due three years ago.

Further action is planned on a weekly basis.

Back in 2005, the NHS, unions and private contractors signed a joint national statement to end the two-tier workforce in the health service by giving staff working for contractors the same Agenda for Change pay and conditions as colleagues working directly for the NHS.

And although UNISON says the North Devon trust received money to cover this, and the national agreement should have been implemented in October 2006, the cleaners, porters and cooks and others employed by Sodexo are still waiting for a pay rise and back pay.

"Our members don't want to take industrial action," said UNISON regional organiser Helen Eccles, but "they've waited three years for the national agreement to be implemented, despite the fact that the trust has already received the funds.

"Our members simply want to know when they will receive fair play."

The industrial action, voted for by 97% of members on a 81% turn-out, follows on the heels of the workers organising themselves to campaign for what they're owed over the last few months.

UNISON membership has risen from 45 to more than 200 between June last year and the end of 2009, and the workers have an organising committee of five stewards.

The trust and Sodexo have responded to the workforce getting organised and threatening industrial action by agreeing to Agenda for Pay sick pay and holiday entitlements from the beginning of this year, but have still not moved on paying the workers the correct rate or back pay.

Messages of support and financial donations can be sent to the branch at
UNISON Branch
North Devon District Hospital
Suite 2 Munro House
Raleigh Park
Barnstaple
EX31 4JB

email: unisonhealthndevon@hotmail.co.uk

Check out BBC report here and UNISONactive. 

Tory Boys pronouncement to pregnant women “We know what’s good for you”

David Cameron and Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley made a promise yesterday about the Tories offering “real choice to women over childbirth” ( see this BBC report). This has been attacked by amongst others London UNISON Midwifes.

Nora Pearce UNISON Midwifery Convenor at Kingston Hospital, Surrey (see picture)

" This Conservative initiative addresses the issue of the relatively small number of mothers having home births and does little to address the shortages of Midwives being experienced in hospital maternity units across the country, a situation that will be exacerbated by the Conservatives plans to freeze the pay of midwives and other public sector workers".

(I've met Nora and she is a top no nonsense nurse and trade unionist!)

Michael Walker, UNISON Regional Officer "UNISON is also concerned at the threat to scarp Surestart, which is a vital service to new mothers".

While the BBC report quotes RCM General Secretary Cathy Warwick “The Royal College of Midwives said service changes were already underway and that it was hard to see what was different in the Conservative offerings.”

Health Secretary Andy Burnham said the opposition's plans on the NHS were not credible and could not be trusted.

"Cameron promises no NHS cuts - but in the very next breath pledges to cut the things that matter most to patients - their right to see a cancer specialist within two weeks or to be treated within a maximum of 18 weeks."

Labour MP Ann Keen said the proposed changes to maternity services would put at risk vital life-saving changes backed by clinicians and midwives.

Don’t the Tories have any Women shadow ministers to speak about this?

Methinks: pointless Tory focus group and media advisor generated froth and nonsense about a really important issue?

Beat the BNP Day of Action in Barking this Saturday 9th January

I received today this email today from London UNISON Labour Link (see also Labourlist)

Dear Friends,

I wanted to remind you about our Beat the BNP Day of Action this Saturday, 9th January.

We will be meeting at Becontree tube station (on the District Line) at 10am and then we will be going out door knocking and delivering leaflets from 10-12pm and, after a buffet lunch, again at 1-3pm.

For years the BNP have dreamed of a seat at Westminster, and this time they think they have a chance. But I am determined that 2010 will be the year that dream is put to an end.

Here in Barking we need your support and solidarity to do this.

So it would be fantastic if you could join us on Saturday, and please do bring along any friends or family members who are interested as well.

If you have any questions, you can contact our campaign hotline on 07576 323 109, or send an email to lizdotbradshawdot07atgooglemaildotcom.

All good wishes and Happy New Year

Margaret Hodge, MP

Bashing Boris Bombshell in Canning Town

This morning there was a mass Labour Party leaflet protest across London at underground and rail stations to protest against the Tory Mayor’s fare increases (see previous post). Many of the stations in Newham had protestors handing out leaflets despite the freezing weather (I had 5 layers, gloves, hat and an UNISON "I love the NHS" scarf and was still b*****y cold!). Picture is of Labour Councillors Joy Laguda and Patricia Holland handing out leaflets outside Canning Town station.

The increase in tube fares of 3.9% at a time of deflation and nonexistent pay increases (or worse) will hit everyone. But the massive increase in bus fares of 12.7% will impact the most on those in London who can ill afford it. As our good Comrade John Prescott puts it in his blog

“Thanks to Boris, the average couple will now have to shell out an extra £263 a year. That might be chicken feed to people like Boris, but not the majority of people in the capital.

Why do working class Londoners have to pay more? Because Boris is looking after his own in West London. The western extension to the congestion charge zone, which would have provided an extra £70m a year, was scrapped by Johnson.

He also axed the £25 charge for the most polluting cars driving into central London, protecting the Chelsea tractors and Porsches but costing London a projected £50million a year.

So the poorest in London are now effectively subsidising Boris, Dave, George and their Notting Hill friends to clog up the roads with their 4X4s on the school run.”

Nuf said?

I was particularly pleased that despite the time of year the London Labour Party had organised such an important event at possibly the most difficult time to do so. More please!

Boris Fares Bombshell

(Labour Party Party)
On Monday January 4th millions of Londoners returning to work after the Christmas and New Year break will be hit by Boris Johnson’s above-inflation fare increase. The fares hike, which kicks in on Saturday January 2nd, will see:

* A single bus journey by Oyster UP 20% to £1.20

* A weekly oyster bus pass UP 20% to £16.60

* Six-zone peak single Tube fare by Oyster UP 10.5% to £4.20

* A five-zone off-peak single Tube fare (outside zone 1) UP 18.2% to £1.30
< * Most Oyster pay-as-you-go Tube fares UP by 20p per trip.

Overall tube fares will rise 3.9% and overall bus fares up by 12.7%.

It comes after Boris Johnson’s 2009 fare increase which saw London transport fares up by six per cent overall, but with some fares rising more steeply – including an 11 per cent increase in a single bus fare on Oyster. It means that the price of a single bus journey by Oyster will have risen by one third since Boris Johnson was elected – from 90p to £1.20. Boris Johnson is committed to further annual above-inflation fare increases.

Lies, Damned lies...and The Sunday Times

The TUC think tank website ToUCHstone rips apart the blatantly misleading and partisan rubbish put out by today’s The Sundays Times about public sector pay. While I don’t think any genuine progressive would expect fairness from Murdock’s Tory fanzine you would not think that a "serious" heavyweight broadsheet would resort to such laughable gibberish masquerading as serious analysis.

Since these outrageous porkies will not go away in the run up to the next election all of us who have some regard to the truth must rebut this stuff straight away.

Average public sector pay may be 7% more than in the public sector, but this is because there are more graduates and professionals in the public sector than the private sector. Since for example we expect all our doctors and teachers to be qualified graduates. People doing similar jobs (“Peers”) in the private and public sector are not being compared. Ironically the evidence as shown by TUC Nigel Stanley is that graduates and other qualified staff in the public sector are paid less. It is only the lower paid public sector workers such as cleaners and diner ladies that “benefit” when compared to the private sector. This is because many private sector jobs pay minimum wage, basic holiday pay, statutory only sickness pay and no pensions at all.

What is particularly laughable is the “reports” on page 12 about a Karen Moffat (aged 60 please note) who strangely is paid more while working as a manager in the NHS than in some undefined role in a supermarket canteen? Well I never! Or the Morpeth Jeweller who complains that he trains up workers “who then leave to get similar roles in the Council”. Who on earth besides Sunday Times journalists thinks that Northumberland Council runs a jewellers? The article also mentions a “victim of public sector golden age”. Bizarrely they think it is noteworthy that “Zoe Waas” who runs a cleaning company cannot get staff to only work less than 16 hours (at God knows what rotten pay and conditions) due to the public sector offering more hours and pay? So people should be barred from working more than 16 hours? What does she pay her staff? What rot and rubbish. Call this reporting?

I’ve just google “Morpeth Council jobs” and it came up with 3 vacancies via Northumberland Council, A cleaner on £6.30-6.47 per hour; A family placement support worker (day and support care for disabled and non-disabled kids) for £17,161 - £19,621 a year and a NHS Care Support worker at £13,233 per year. Yeah, what great money, what a “golden age” you must be enjoying on these pay rates.

I could go on and on but I will finish with this...

Why didn’t the Sunday Times just run a more honest feature on “why doesn’t the public sector pay poverty wages for working people just like the private sector?”

Or much better still “Minimum Wage for All - Sunday Times Journalists and Executives will set an example to the Nation”.

Update: UNISON Active joins in the fun and highlights the dodgy role of so called "Straight Statistics" in this sorry tale.

Gray Family Recession Watch

This is all very unscientific and not at all representative. However, I thought that after the Crimbo and New Year family get-togethers, I would have a look at how the immediate Gray family “kith and kin” are coping with the recession. This will also involve seeing if there are any green shoots of recovery about.

Firstly North Wales. Spouse of bossy big sister is a self employed plumber who specialises in fitting insulation to heating systems. Most of his work involves newly built or refurbished buildings such as schools and hospitals. Work was a little tight for a month or so last year but so far he has plenty of orders for this year. Maybe he is benefiting from the “Green Agenda”? Bossy big sister is a self-employed Gymnastic coach who runs her own club and so far has seen no drop off in membership or income. Good news was that my niece’s partner who is a construction labourer and had been laid off for nearly a year has just found a local job on a new site with up to 2 years work available.

Next Lincolnshire. Good news again. Spouse of bossy little sister is a very experienced aircraft engineer. For the first time in over 20 years he’s been unemployed for nearly 3 months. He was forced to work for an agency doing night shifts loading delivery lorries at minimum wage rates. (Shame on big companies who employ seasonal workers on minimum wages). He’s now got a contract working in the same aircraft factory that my Dad use to work at many years ago (he was also the local Electricians Union Assistant Branch Secretary). Bossy little sister works in local government (an UNISON member of course) as an assistant social worker and is busy, busy. Nephew works as an “on call” Electrician for a company that manufactures, installs and maintains equipment for warehouse distribution centres. These “just in time” 24/7 depots are highly dependent on skilled electrical and mechanical workers to keep things flowing. He admits that the company was worried about work last year but he is being kept really, really busy with loads of overtime. I wonder if they are so busy because the recession is encouraging firms to invest in mechanisation in order to cut distribution costs (jobs?).

I’ve yet to meet up with the Ipswich branch of the clan so will report back on this visit another time. But so far good news for the Gray’s (touch wood). I know things are really tough for many people at the moment but I hope other families will find the New Year as promising.

(Picture of modern day Gotham City from Wanstead flats)

Boris Johnson's Bad Fare Day

Hat-tip Socialist Unity.  Double click scan to bring up details.

Happy New Year! Bella Ciao!

Hat tip thingy Col. Roi. See link for another more contemporary version.

Solider, Councillor, Teacher, Blogger...Alasdair Ross - Radio 4 PM interview

While driving through the rain on Tuesday from North Wales (visiting family and bossy big sister) to Lincolnshire (visiting family and bossy little sister) I listened to an interview with Labour blogger, Ipswich Councillor and 2 Rifle soldier, Alasdair Ross.

Alasdair was being interviewed on Radio 4 PM programme about his experiences during a recent tour in Afghanistan as an Army warrant officer. Alasdair gave a thoughtful and confident interview.

It started about 17 minutes into the programme and lasted for 8 (you can hear it in full here for next 5 days). He had served in the Army for 24 years when he retired, became a teacher and was elected as a Labour Councillor for Ipswich. He then voluntarily rejoined 2 Rifles as a reservist for his final tour which was spent in Helmand province in Afghanistan. 2 Rifles lost 13 soldiers during the tour including 5 killed in one day. The Battle group he was attached to lost 24 out of 1100 soldiers.

Alastair phrased the bravery of the local Afghans who despite the threats from the Taliban turned out to vote during the recent election there. He pointed out as a Labour Politician he knows that if it rains in the UK the vote will go down while in Helmand voters had to face rocket attacks! He also finished by stating that it is important that people like him who have been there now take part in the PR battle ahead about the war. What the Army wants is not sympathy - it wants backing.