Health trust on collision course with unions over outsourcing plan

HOSPITAL BOSSES could be heading for a dispute with trade unions over plans to transfer hundreds of jobs to a private company.

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust could be hit by industrial action in the new year over the potential outsourcing of estates and facilities jobs, understands.

Public-sector union Unison claims it amounts to privatisation and is planning a co-ordinated campaign at West Yorkshire NHS trusts involved in the plan.

Unison’s Mid Yorkshire branch told its members: “This will enable us to take legal industrial action across Yorkshire if the trust doesn’t see sense and withdraw their plans.”

Mid Yorkshire, which runs Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury hospitals, said a “whollyowned subsidiary” company could be set up to run some services.

Director of estates Mark Braden said: “Our trust, like many across the country, is looking at different ways of providing services, including estates and facilities, so that they continue to be safe, high-quality and more sustainable into the future. This is not an attempt to privatise services. Our thinking about the creation of a wholly owned subsidiary is in the early stages and there is a long way to go before any final decision is made.

“There is more to do to explore the benefits and to get feedback from staff in those services before a decision can be made.

“We are committed to consulting fully with our staff on this along with our recognised trade unions.”

Unison has demanded to see a “business case” report which sets out how the outsourcing plan might work but it has not been made public.