Liverpool hospital workers

Striking against the two-tier workforce

OVER 600 caterers, porters and domestics at Aintree Hospital NHS
Trust were on strike on 13 June. The strike coincided with a visit by
Prince Edward.

Andy Ford, Amicus North Manchester NHS branch, personal capacity

The workers, who are members of UNISON, GMB and TGWU, are employed by
Initial Hospital Services, not the NHS. They want equal pay with
directly employed NHS staff who are set to get Agenda for Change pay
rates. Agenda for Change excludes directors, doctors and dentists – and
the thousands of NHS staff whose jobs have been contracted out.

NHS staff also get sick pay, which is denied to the Initial staff.
The two-tier workforce, whereby different groups of workers are paid at
different rates as a result of privatisation, is supposed to have been
abolished under the Warwick Agreement between the trade union leaders
and the Labour Party. But the fact that workers are having to strike
against it shows just how hollow the Warwick Agreement is.

The workers were joined by 50 workers from the Walton site, who are
employed by Synergy to provide a sterile supplies service. They want to
preserve NHS terms and conditions. Some patients also joined the
enthusiastic picket.

The Initial Hospital Services staff are set to strike again on 19 and
20 June if no progress is made, and the Synergy workers are considering
indefinite strike action from 20 June.