East London NHS battle
WORKERS, JULY 2006 ISSUE
AROUND 250 cleaning and domestic UNISON members at Whipps Cross NHS Trust, North East London, are balloting for strike action after both the private contractors, Initial Cleaning and the trust reneged on a 2003 agreement over pay and conditions.
In 2003, after a series of strikes, Whipps Cross, the Homerton and Tower Hamlets NHS trusts and the privatised cleaning contractors agreed to lift wages and work towards implementing NHS Agenda for Change terms and conditions. The 2003 dispute was settled with an agreement that by April 2006 there would be new wage levels comparable with non-privatised health staff. That has happened in the Homerton and Tower Hamlets, but Initial, blaming the trust and lack of funding, is refusing to pay – and introducing additional cuts in hours, wages and staffing levels. Initial's refusal to negotiate locally or nationally and its cavalier attempt to ignore the contractors' agreement has pushed the issue into dispute.
A lunchtime demonstration of over 300 Whipps Cross staff has given a clear indication of the mood of members. Whipps Cross, which has a £5.8 million deficit, has seen three board directors "leave" in as many weeks – with a "rescue consultant" appointed on a reputed £1,200 a day fee!
Other groups of privatised domestic and cleaning staff in London, including other Initial workers, are closely watching the dispute at Whipps Cross. The reluctance of contractors to meet the terms of the 2005 National Agreement – brokered by the trade unions, the Department of Health and CBI to deliver Agenda for Change and do away with the two-tier workforce – with contractors blaming Trusts and vice versa, may well see industrial action ballots spread across London.