Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Cleaning staff at Ninewells could take strike action
for compassionate leave because her mum died and she was told she would get two-and-a-half hours so she could go to the funeral and that was it.
“Otherwise she would be getting taken upstairs for a disciplinary. There have been several staff off with stress as well. We aren’t asking for money or anything like that, we just want to be treated with dignity and respect, just like human beings should.
“They have got staff covering six areas of the hospital and they aren’t even allowed to sit for two minutes to get a water break. If we go on strike for even one day, the hospital will come to a standstill.”
Graham Nelson, the Unite rep for porters at Ninewells, said: “The porters have now been consulted and are doing their own ballot.”
A spokesman for Unite said: “All our members in domestic care services want is to be treated with the respect that they deserve for the hard work that they do. By sticking together, they are finally making management take issues around unfair treatment seriously — and the result of the consultative ballot sends a strong message about their determination to get fair treatment.
“Our members will be meeting again this week to discuss the situation.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “NHS Tayside has not been notified of the results of a consultative ballot by Unite, nor of any intention to take strike action.”