Defending Jobs and Services

Branch officers, representatives and convenors at our Branch Committee meeting discussed the waves of cuts and ‘efficiency savings’ touching every health worker in each NHS trust. And most management teams are planning repeated cuts each year for the next 4 years. Jobs and services are being axed. Its tough for us and our families as NHS users, its putting huge demands on us as staff members – it will be impossible for young workers looking for their first jobs. 

A Self Defence class for Health Workers.

Undoubtedly the best form of self defence is sticking together … that is union solidarity.

 What we can do together.

1. We all have a legal right to work in a safe environment – and that includes a workplace free of bullying and high levels of stress.  We have a right to remove ourselves to a ‘place of safety’ if we have a reasonable fear for our own health and safety.
    

2. Work normally: don’t get pushed from ‘pillar to post’. Our employment contract comprises a written contract and ‘custom and practice’. If you are asked to start covering someone else’s job (because s/he has left and the management needs to cover the job) either say no or insist on a signed written agreement that you will only cover it for a limited time BEFORE you go to do the job.
    

3. We have a ‘duty of care’ to ourselves, our colleagues and patients. If cuts degrade services to an unacceptable level you MUST work with colleagues to raise concerns with management in writing and let the union know. Registered staff can be struck off for failing to work to professional standards. The national union has a brilliant set of resources on this at: www.unison.org.uk/healthcare/dutyofcare
    

4. Collective Dispute process. The union can submit a collective grievance on behalf of a group of members. If it is not resolved through negotiation then members can be balloted for industrial action. Anti-union laws make this difficult (see BA dispute) but not impossible.
    

5. Build links with patient, carer and community groups talk to your MP and councillors. The union is committed to work with community groups to defend the NHS (and has done so very  successfully) and will support you in such campaigns. In some areas there are strong local campaigns to defend services eg the Horton Hospital campaign in Banbury. Talk to the union first if you want to ‘whisleblow’ about the impact of cuts on patient care.
    

6. You and family and friends can join the Links group which is responsible for monitoring developments in the local NHS. It can work with the council scrutiny committee and call directors to account. www.makesachange.org.uk
    

7. Join the group ‘Keep Our NHS Public’ which campaigns against cuts and privatisation. www.keepournhspublic.org.uk

Remember we are much, much stronger in a highly unionised workplace with stewards, Health & Safety Reps and strong community links.

***

Government White Paper
Abolition of PCTs, 45% cuts in management costs. end of national pay bargaining, "denationalisation of healthcare services in England" National UNISON response

Increments to continue during imposed pay freeze.

HANDS OFF OUR
PENSION

campaign material here

Emergency Budget

Oxford Protests

Con-LibDem coalition is demanding a 2 year pay freeze across public sector. Those earning less than £21,000, to  get a token £250 increase each year (worth about 1.75% pa for a band 1 NHS worker) and there are now suggestions that everyone may get £250.
NHS pensions are no longer to rise in line with increasing housing costs instead being linked to the CPI inflation measure of inflation.  Branch to launch local campaigns in support of Million Voices.

Organising and recruiting

UNISON is the largest public sector union in the country with 1.4 million members but this does not always in itself solve local issues to our advantage. 

Before making cuts in staffing top directors consider the likely response of workers in that ward or department – if they think few workers are in the union and we have no elected steward they know staff could be ‘easy prey’.

If they know staff are highly unionised and will stick together then they’ll find cuts elsewhere (employing fewer management consultants, not paying £15bn a year in transaction costs for the health market, scrapping PFI, even controlling pay and perks for directors).

How to build the union

The branch committee has agreed

1. To extend the £5 recruit a friend campaign.

2. To give an additional prize of £50 to the first 5 members recruiting 10 colleagues.

3. To run pay clinics for members to be able to make sense of our payslips.

4. To encourage new stewards and Health and Safety Reps to come forwards – they will get access to free training during works time. See  www.unison.org.uk/active/involved.asp

Issues in numbers

 2.25% Pay rise April 2010 3.7%
CPI inflation in April 5.3%
RPI inflation in April (includes housing costs)
.£6bn
a year to be taken from pensioners by switching to CPI

£14bn 14% a year transaction costs for healthcare market.

£900m
2009-2010 funding for NHS Oxfordshire
£940m
2010-2011 funding for NHS Oxfordshire

£4000  a typical year's NHS pension for over half NHS staff

Remember Lord Darzi?

Lord Darzi as part of the NHS Next Stage Review (leading local change) said ...

"... we are making five pledges on change in the NHS, which PCTs [commissioners] will have a duty to have regard to:

Change will always be to the benefit of patients. 

Change will be clinically driven        

All change will be locally-led.           

You will be involved.

You will see the difference first.

For full document see http://tinyurl.com/37dbklt