Strikes at hospitals

Berkshire: Support staff to take action in dispute over job titles

Five days of union strikes are planned for support staff at four hospitals in Berkshire – including King Edward VII in Windsor and Upton in Slough.

GMB members working in facilities management (such as cleaning and catering services) are due to strike, with the GMB saying staff are facing changes to job titles, job specifications and bandings in a ‘planned reorganisation of the entire workforce and service delivery model’.

The organisation which provides these services says there have been ‘no changes to their job descriptions, pay or benefits’.

The strikes are set to begin on Monday, November 29 at four Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust hospitals – King Edward VII, Wokingham, Upton and St Mark’s.

Facility management is provided to these hospitals by NHS Property Services (NHSPS).

This is described as a Government-owned company ‘which exists to help the NHS get the most from

its estate’, but the GMB said NHSPS is an ‘outright Ltd private company’ despite claims otherwise.

Asia Allison, GMB senior organiser, said staff felt abandoned by the trust and 'didn't want to leave Berkshire Healthcare NHS trust for the private sector in the first place'.

She said:“Now they find themselves facing having their NHS transferring terms and conditions changed by NHSPS through an organisational change programme which could potentially circumvent their TUPE protection and can sever the link to their current NHS pay bandings, as it appears was always the plan with property services all the way along.”

However NHSPS says that the union’s claims are ‘misleading’.

A spokesperson said: “NHS Property Services welcomed our new colleagues from Berkshire on October

1 and have worked closely with Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust to ensure their transition into the organisation.

“There have been no changes to their job descriptions, pay or benefits.

“All colleagues transferring into our organisation retain the right to maintain their existing terms and conditions. To suggest otherwise is misleading.”

She said job titles would be adapted but this does not impact pay and is done to ensure new members of staff feel 'part of the organisation'.

“We continue to be in discussions with the GMB to seek to avert this unnecessary action,” she added.

“However, if they do proceed, we would like to take this opportunity to reassure the public that we have worked to ensure all key frontline roles will be covered for the duration of the strike to make sure the high quality of our vital frontline services is not affected.”

GMB said it is happy to meet with NHSPS and discuss exclusion from the organisational change programme for its members across the four hospitals.