“Tory Health Minister Barclay has come out saying that health workers are fighting for extreme pay claims. Extreme?! Our members in health have lost up to a fifth of their wages in the last 12 years.”
This was how Len Hockey, Unite branch secretary for Barts NHS Trust, opened the rally after hundreds of striking health workers had marched from the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, East London, on the third day of their latest round of action.
Millicent Manso, Unite rep at Royal London, demanded that the lump sum that has been paid to NHS staff be paid to all those who have been transferred back in-house from privateer Serco. This in-sourcing was won by the action taken by these same Unite members in early 2022.
They were joined on the demonstration by BMA junior doctors and consultants, themselves on a 72-hour stoppage in their continuing pay campaign, and striking Barnet Unison Mental Health Social Workers. Reps from these disputes spoke at the rally, alongside Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan, as his train driver union members took to the picket lines for their 14th day of action since the summer of 2022.
The RMT’s London Transport President Noreen Hayes told the rally that the union’s London Underground (LU) station staff members were due to take action in their dispute but had forced significant concessions from LU management, meaning that the latest strikes had been suspended. But she reinforced RMT’s support for the health strikes.
Len saluted the other striking workers: “The RMT, Aslef and the transport workers are fighting for the same issues as us.” Jeremy Corbyn and local Labour MP Apsana Begum also addressed the strike rally, alongside Lois Austin PCS civil service union London & South East regional secretary ahead of strike action by the union’s members in ISS next week.
In his speech, Len explained why broad action across the NHS was needed on pay: “You can’t deliver care to patients without the nurse, without the porter, without the cleaner, without the admin worker. We will not be divided.” Barts workers have now taken 12 days of strikes and are determined to maintain and build their action to win their fight.
