Healthcare workers in the United Kingdom are going on strike over unfair pay and outsourcing, while pressure mounts on the Labour Party as the anniversary of the Birmingham strikes approaches.
NHS workers’ strikes in Manchester
This morning, the Unison North West trade union posted an announcement on its Facebook page stating that employees of the NHS Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust had declared a 12-hour strike as hospitals, including Salford Royal, Royal Oldham and Fairfield Hospital have drastically cut their pay for extra shifts they take to cover staff shortages in intensive care units across Greater Manchester.
The strike comes after negotiations between the UNISON union and the Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust broke down earlier this week.
At about 7:30 a.m., staff gathered to picket the entrances to Salford and Oldham hospitals. Among the striking employees are nurses, auxiliary medical staff and cleaners. Despite the strike, all patients who need medical care should attend their appointments unless they are contacted and told otherwise.
Kevin Dolan, Unison North West regional organiser, stressed: “Critical care staff are highly trained, skilled professionals who literally keep people alive. The trust needs to reward them properly, in line with their terms and conditions, when they do overtime. It’s disappointing the talks collapsed this week, and nobody wants to be on strike. But there’s still time for managers to come back with a fair solution and avoid disruption.”
The union argues staff should receive proper pay for overtime and pension contributions when working extra shifts. Intensive care units in the region rely heavily on overtime due to staff shortages, and fair pay for extra work would help reduce the burden on hospitals, according to the union.
“We respect our colleagues’ right to take lawful industrial action. Throughout this process, we have worked with UNISON through ACAS conciliation, and we are grateful for their constructive involvement. While both parties are disappointed that industrial action could not be avoided, our focus remains on being fair, equitable and consistent for all colleagues. Patient safety and high-quality care remain our absolute priority, and we are working hard to minimise any disruption for our patients and people who use our services,” NCA’s Katie Robinson said.
Pathologists hold pickets in London suburbs
Meanwhile, staff at the pathology department of Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals are striking against plans to introduce a new shift system and the “failure of the trust to tackle bullying, harassment, and discrimination within the department.” The staff of the clinical engineering department are strongly opposed to outsourcing their division and the proposed transfer of functions to Siemens Healthineers. According to the Unite union, this will worsen working conditions and benefit neither staff nor patients.
“Unite will not stand by while these workers suffer bullying and have their jobs, pay and working conditions attacked. They have their union’s complete support. Strikes will not end until these issues are resolved by the trust,” Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said.
The strikes have been ongoing since 9 March and are expected to continue until 13 March. They will disrupt blood tests and other laboratory tests carried out by pathologists for the medical facility and general practitioners. Maintenance and operation of medical equipment by engineers will also be disrupted.
Unite regional officer, Sujata Virdee, said: “The trust’s continued appalling treatment of these workers has only strengthened their resolve. Unite’s door remains open for genuine negotiations, and we expect the trust to come to the table with substantive proposals without further delay. Strikes will continue to escalate until that happens.”
“We are disappointed that Unite has called a second strike, which will have an adverse impact on our patients. We need to make changes to the shifts our staff work in pathology because we are one of the few trusts that don’t have a 24/7 service. We’re keen to continue negotiating and we need Unite to agree to provide safe cover,” trust chief executive, Matthew Trainer, said.
Pressure on the Labour Party intensifies
On the grounds of widespread outrage over unfair working conditions and low wages, Unite the union announced a general protest by workers on 28 March in the heart of the United Kingdom, London. The union stated on its Facebook page:
“March with us on 28 March in London. When workers stand together, we win. We win better jobs, pay and conditions. We win better public services and housing. When we divide, we lose. Don’t let the haters and snake-oil salesmen divide us. Let’s stand together and win.”
The calls for protests come on the anniversary of the Birmingham bin workers’ protests and the crisis in the public health sector, despite isolated successes in the defence and other sectors. The union said that “people know that if a Labour Party council can get away with this shocking behaviour here in Birmingham, the biggest local authority in Europe, it’ll open the floodgates of a race to the bottom for every public sector worker in the UK.”
In addition, the Unite union had previously voted to cut its membership contributions to the Labour Party by 40% or £580,000.
They argued that “as streets fill with rubbish in every corner, residents and workers suffer, while the council dither around a deal already scoped out at conciliation service Acas. A deal blocked by government-backed commissioners on £1,200 a day.”
“Labour’s incompetent behaviour in Birmingham has come on the back of a failed economic strategy, which has left our industrial base fighting for its life. Oil and gas workers facing decimation, buy British defence promises broken, the public sector undervalued and the elderly and disabled under attack,” the union added on its official website.
The union also questioned whose side the Labour Party is on, ignoring workers’ strikes and failing to take the necessary steps to resolve the dispute.
“Unite members are coming to the end of the line as far as Labour is concerned. Workers are scratching their heads asking whose side are Labour on, who do they really represent, because it certainly isn’t workers. Workers and communities are paying the price. Labour needs to wake up and smell the coffee. The cut in affiliation fee shows the anger of Unite members. Stop taking workers for granted, spine up, do your job and be real Labour,” Graham said.
