Len Hockey, Barts NHS Trust Unite branch secretary
Members spirits were good on the picket line at Whipps Cross Hospital on Monday 29 January, as Unite members began their sixth phase of strike action since September 2023. As well as pickets at three east London hospitals in Barts NHS Trust, a strike rally will take place. Among other demands, ex-Serco workers, whose strike action a year ago won them being brought back into the NHS, are fighting for the ‘Covid bonus’ lump sum paid to other NHS staff last year.
Before Christmas, we took the fight to the door of the Department of Health, staging a lively demonstration. Our national officers do not accept the argument that the trust has no authority to pay the lump sum. Our branch has called on Barts bosses to escalate the issue to NHS England.
We will leave no stone unturned in the fight for justice for our membership. The fight for properly resourced patient care is intrinsically linked with the fight for properly rewarded and respected health workers.
