A RALLY on 1 July in Maidstone, Kent, protested at the proposed
sell-off of the five NHS Logistics depots nationwide. NHS Logistics, an
award-winning, not-for-profit service supplies and delivers all the
essentials to NHS hospitals.
Jackie Berry, Kent Socialist Party
Yet the government wants to sell it off to private company DHL, with
Novation, who are under investigation for scamming the US health care
system, as a subcontractor.
"The mood at the depot is that it’s gone through now. DHL have taken
over," says Dean Lane, UNISON assistant branch secretary at NHS
Logistics in Maidstone.
But the UNISON membership are still pushing for a ballot for
industrial action.
Paul Harper, UNISON branch secretary at the depot says "We’ve no
choice but to ballot. UNISON’s national General Secretary Dave Prentis
says he supports strike action, but we’ve been pushing for a ballot for
about six months now, and he keeps stalling for time."
For workers, the takeover will mean worse terms, possible downgrading
of pay, job cuts and loss of pensions.
Also, 700 workers at NHS Logistics are UNISON members. DHL/Novation
plan to replace UNISON with a new ‘management friendly union.’
"During the London bombings, staff at the Maidstone depot dropped
everything else to transfer supplies to hospitals in London… you
wouldn’t get that if it went private, management just wouldn’t allow
it," says Paul Harper. The Maidstone depot received awards for this
heroism, along with consistent good work.
So why does the government want to sell off this part of the NHS? If
New Labour can sell off NHS Logistics, it makes it a lot easier to
privatise other parts of the NHS, until there is none left.
"We’ll pay more," says Dean Lane. "If or when it all goes private,
we’ll all be paying for health insurance, but will taxes go down? No
they won’t! That’s not even the point, this is our NHS!"
"What’s needed now is for UNISON to hold a national demonstration,"
says Paul Harper.
We need a national demonstration to defend the NHS against all the
attacks, cuts, closures and sell-offs.
