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Health staff up and down the country – who are often the last workers to consider taking strike action as their goodwill is continuously exploited by their bosses and the government – are standing up and saying enough is enough.


This summer of NHS discontent kicked off with pharmacy support workers in Tayside protesting against an unfair job evaluation system. As we go to press, the action is still on-going – as it has been continuously since August 19.


Even those health workers who have never taken strike action, or even been balloted, are among those walking out. Health visitors in Lincolnshire, who were once employed by the NHS but in a bid to water down the vital service were transferred to Lincolnshire County Council in 2017, have joined the ranks of strikers.


Under their new employers, the 58 affected health visitors have lost on average £2,000 each year, with some losing as much as £3,000 annually.


Unite rep and health visitor Claire Bradford (pictured), called the strike action “unprecedented” and one that’s “reached crisis point”.


“I live in and work for Lincolnshire County Council – my council tax goes up, the cost of living goes up and my wages aren’t meeting those increases,” Claire highlighted, speaking to uniteWORKS at a demo in Lincoln in August.


But their fight is not just about pay, important though that is.


The LCC health visitors dispute also centres around other actions taken by the Council including being forced to accept a junior level role, even though many of them, like Claire, have nearly a decade of experience or more.


This, explained Unite professional officer Jane Beach, has a created a two-tier workforce and will strip senior health visitors of many key elements of their role. For example, LCC health visitors can no longer write on-the-spot prescriptions – which places more pressure on already overstretched GP services.


There are also fewer staff able to manage complex safeguarding. LCC’s systematic deskilling of the health visitor role has resulted in a reduced service and has put vulnerable families at risk.


“Health visitor caseloads in Lincolnshire are already really high and the council even now has trouble retaining staff,” Beach noted. “If they don’t come to the table and listen, you’ll have lots of senior health visitors who ultimately will have to look elsewhere.”


As of writing, the striking Lincolnshire County Council health visitors have taken or planned 17 days of strike action, with another week of walkouts planned from September 9 to September 13.


Pathologists, also not known for walking out, are now gearing up for a fight at King George’s Hospital Ilford and at Queens Hospital Romford – after a consultative ballot yielding a unanimous result in favour of industrial action.


Shift patterns


The heart of the dispute centres around the imposition of a new shift pattern by their employer Barking Havering and Redbridge University Trust, which could see some pathologists lose a jaw-dropping £10,000 a year.


“For us, this was the final straw – they want us to provide a seven-day service, which in theory we’re definitely not against, but we simply don’t have the required number of people or the proper skill mix to carry out such a service,” Joan*, a pathologist and Unite member said.


At present, pathologists at the Trust work Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5.30 pm or 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Late and night shifts are covered by an on-call and overtime system that has worked successfully for years. This enables staff to maintain a work-life balance, while topping up their basic salary – which starts at only £25,000 – with overtime.


“Some staff have disabilities too which means that they are unable to participate in the new shift system,” Joan explained. “What angers us most is that this shift pattern is being implemented without


13 uniteWORKS Autumn 2019


BY HAJERA BLAGG


meaningful consultation, nor consideration of family commitments or caring responsibilities.”


Staff also feel betrayed by what they see as a violation of pay protection which is written into their contracts. If down- banded by a management re-organisation, they’re given a certain number of years to adjust to lower pay instead of being hit by a sudden reduction in wages. This allows staff to make other arrangements for fixed financial responsibilities. In this case, bosses are refusing to honour the pay protection agreement.


What worries Joan most about her job is that she feels without proper resourcing and staffing, patient safety and lives may be at risk. Just as uniteWORKS went to press, pathologists at King George’s hospital held a protest which coincided with a visit from Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors, who had come to investigate other issues at the hospital, currently in special measures.


Unite seized the opportunity to broadcast to the CQC delegates the seriousness of the matter at a time when relations between management and staff have totally broken down amid an entrenched culture of workplace bullying. Unite now plans to move to full industrial action ballot.


“Our members in pathology do a vital job in testing samples that come from patients, and it’s critical that those samples are turned around quickly and reliably,” Unite regional officer Ruth Hydon said.


“When we’re faced with such an arrogant management, the shift pattern they’re forcing through could have huge implications for patients – if they don’t get their results reliably it could delay a diagnosis or even result in a wrong diagnosis. We call on the Trust to stop ignoring us,” Ruth added. “All other Trusts I’m involved with meet with us and work with us – why won’t they?”


Find out all the latest news about Unite health members and the latest disputes at unitelive.org


*Name changed to protect privacy


Mark Thomas


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