Whipps Cross hospital strike:

"We won’t be treated like dirt"

PUBLIC HEALTH NOT PRIVATE PROFIT

LOW-PAID ancillary workers were on the picket line outside Whipps
Cross hospital in east London on 14 and 15 August. "We are determined to
get a just settlement of our claim", joint UNISON branch secretary Len
Hockey told the socialist.

The workers, employed by Initial Hospital Services, are fighting for
a pay rise they won three years ago, when they won a battle for parity
in pay with workers who had previously been employed directly by the NHS.

Over 200 of the workers out of the 240 UNISON branch members had
joined the picket over the two-day strike.

Angry

"We’re very angry," a group of women workers explained. "They have
not paid us the wage rises we were promised back in 2003. The same is
true of sick pay, better annual leave and higher London weighting – life
in London is very expensive.

"Now Initial are treating us like we were dirt. They never even
called to tell us what they were going to do. So we’re striking to make
the company and the Trust hear us and to make sure our demands are met.
We’re an important part of the NHS. We help to keep our hospitals clean.
They should implement the agreement."

"It’s part of a bigger battle," another worker added. "The NHS is
threatening redundancies and ward closures while contractors try to cut
our hours and refuse to honour agreements – all to save money.

"Why should domestics be sacked or treated like a used piece of rag?
Who is the NHS being run for – the public or contractors’ profits?"

Another worker said: "We were promised better wages and conditions
that were supposed to come in by April 2006. We deserve this money – we
can’t survive on our present wages – and we’ll fight for these
improvements.

"At present they’re having to pay agency staff costing £10 an hour.
Why don’t they just pay the workers a decent wage? The Trust needs to
support us but they’re not coming out with any comment. They’re all
putting the blame on everyone else."

Support

ONE OF the features of the strikes by the Whipps Cross Initial
workers has been the support on the picket lines. Almost all of the
UNISON members have participated on them. Even strikers’ relatives have
been turning up to show solidarity.

Many other hospital workers have come along to show their support.
Elizabeth told the socialist: "I’m a health worker at Whipps Cross. I’m
here because it’s an injustice for a government establishment to bring
in a private company who are not well equipped to deal with staff. They
came in with an agreement and they should stick to that agreement."

During the strike UNISON discovered evidence that that hospital trust
had pledged support for the original deal. Strikers therefore attended
the trust board meeting on 18 August to demand that they live up to
their responsibilities and fund the agreement.

They have refused to do this so far, in spite of the fact that the
increase is being paid in other east London hospitals. Another strike
will therefore go ahead over three days from 30 August, and a five-day
strike is planned for September.

• Please send messages of support to: Len Hockey, UNISON office, Whipps Cross Hospital, Whipps Cross Road, London E11 1NR.
• Donations: c/o Chris Remington, Head of Health and HE, UNISON,
  First Floor, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1 3LS.
  Cheques payable to UNISON, mark for "Whipps Cross Initial Strikers".