Colchester Hospital workers to strike in fight for jobs

Hundreds of cleaners, porters, caterers and other facilities staff at Colchester Hospital voted on Friday to strike against plans to "sell" their jobs out of the NHS, workers union Unison said. 

The workers voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action, affecting several East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) sites. 

Colchester Hospital porter John Franklin said: “We give our hearts and souls into working for the NHS and supporting patients, but we will not accept being sold off like a piece of equipment to a private company to make money. 

Disappointed - ESNEFT chief executive Nick Hulme said the trust is disappointed by the workers' decision

“The trust can fool itself into thinking this would be better value for money or improve services, but staff know this is simply not the truth. 

“We will continue to fight for our jobs, for the public and for the best service possible — and that means staying in-house.” 

Unison representatives say the trust should bring services back into the NHS at Ipswich Hospital, where they have been outsourced to a private company. 

Eastern regional organiser Sam Older said: “The message from staff is crystal clear - stop the sell-off. 

“Workers have delivered a resounding vote for industrial action, not because they want to strike but because they want to stay in the NHS where they can properly serve patients. 

“Now is the trust’s chance to rethink and commit to keeping jobs in the NHS. We urge them to take it.” 

The union claims the quality of service will suffer if a private firm takes over. 

Unison says workers could also be affected, as those transferred out of the NHS would have some protection over pay and conditions, but new starters would be likely be on legal minimums. 

The union claims it would create a two-tier workforce, which the new Labour government has vowed to tackle. 

ESNEFT chief exec Nick Hulme said: “We are disappointed to learn that Unison has gone down this route while we are still actively involved in ongoing conversations with them and their members.

"We are listening to our staff about the issues that are important to them. 

“A full business case has not yet been submitted to the trust board, and we remain keen to engage with our staff and our staff side colleagues, including Unison, so we get the best possible service for our patients.”